Guided imagery (also known as guided affective imagery, or katathym-imaginative psychotherapy) is a mind-body intervention by which a trained practitioner or teacher helps a participant or patient to evoke and generate mental imagesComplementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What's In a Name? US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. National Institutes of Health. NIH Publication No. D347. Online Version. Retrieved 31 July 2015. that simulate or recreate the sensory perceptionKosslyn S. M., Ganis G., and Thompson W. L., Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Vol. 2, No. 9, 2001, pp. 635–642. of sights,McAvinue, L. P., and Robertson, I. H., Measuring visual imagery ability: A review. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2007, pp. 191–211.Cocude, M., and Denis, M., Measuring the temporal characteristics of visual images. Journal of Mental Imagery, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1988, pp. 89–101. sounds,Zatorre, R. J., Halpern, A. R., and Bouffard, M., Mental reversal of imagined melodies: A role for the posterior parietal cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Vol. 22, No. 4, 2010, pp. 775–789. tastes,Tiggemann, M., and Kemps, E., The phenomenology of food cravings: The role of mental imagery. Appetite, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2005, pp. 305–313. smells,Stevenson, R. J., and Case, T. I., Olfactory imagery: A review. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2005, pp. 244–264. movements,McAvinue, L. P., and Robertson, I. H., Measuring motor imagery ability: A review. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2008, pp. 232–251. and images associated with touch, such as texture, temperature, and pressure,Juttner, M., and Rentschler, I., Imagery in multi-modal object learning. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2002, pp. 197–198. as well as imaginative or mental content that the participant or patient experiences as defying conventional sensory categories,Banissy, M. J., Walsh, V., and Ward, J., Enhanced sensory perception in synesthesia. Experimental Brain Research, Vol. 196, No. 4, 2009, pp. 565–571. and that may precipitate strong emotions or feelingsLang, P. J., Levin, D. N., Miller, G. A., and Kozak, M. J., Fear behavior, fear imagery, and the psychophysiology of emotion: The problem of affective response integration. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 92, No. 3,1983, pp. 276–306.Holmes, E. A., Coughtrey, A. E., and Connor, A., Looking at or through rose-tinted glasses? Imagery perspective and positive mood. Emotion, Vol. 8, No. 6, 2008, pp. 875–879.Holmes, E. A., and Mathews, A., Mental imagery in emotion and emotional disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, Vol. 30, No. 3, 2010, pp. 349–362, in the absence of the stimuli to which correlating sensory receptors are receptive.Kosslyn, S. M., Ganis, G., and Thompson, W. L., Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Vol. 2, No. 9, 2001, pp635–642.Lang, P. J., A Bio-Informational Theory of Emotional Imagery. Psychophysiology, Vol. 16, 1979, pp495–512.
The practitioner or teacher may facilitate this process in person to an individual or a group or you may do it with a virtual group. Alternatively, the participant or patient may follow guidance provided by a sound recording, video, or audiovisual media comprising spoken instruction that may be accompanied by music or sound.Sources: Morris, C., The use of self-service technologies in stress management: A pilot project. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. Saint Catherine University, St. Paul, MN, 2012. Carter, E., Pre-packaged guided imagery for stress reduction: Initial results. Counselling, Psychotherapy and Health, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2006, pp. 27–39. Naik, M. N. S., Effect of guided imagery on life style among alcoholics. Sinhgad e-Journal of Nursing, Vol. 11, 2013. Morris, C. W., and Morris, C. D., Increasing healthy habits and health behavior change in corporate wellness programs. Corporate Wellness Programs: Linking Employee and Organizational Health, Vol. 215, 2014. Meador, K. S., The effect of synectics training on gifted and non-gifted kindergarten students. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, Vol.18, 1994, pp. 55–73. Meador, K. S., Fishkin, A. S., and Hoover, M., Research-based strategies and programs to facilitate creativity. In Fishkin, A. S., Cramond, B., and Olszewski-Kubilius, P. (Eds.), Investigating creativity in youth: Research and methods, pp389-415. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton, 1999. Carter, E., Pre-packaged guided imagery for stress reduction: Initial results. Counselling, Psychotherapy and Health, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2006, pp. 27–39.
Mental imagery in everyday life
There are two fundamental ways by which mental imagery is generated: voluntary and involuntary.
The involuntary and spontaneous generation of mental images is integral to ordinary sensory perception, and cognition, and occurs without volitional intent. Meanwhile, many different aspects of everyday problem solving, scientific reasoning, and creative activity involve the volitional and deliberate generation of mental images.Sources: Gardner, M., Creating minds. New York: Basic Books, 1953. Antonietti, A., and Baldo, S., Undergraduates conceptions of cognitive functions of mental imagery. Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 78, No. 1, 1994, pp. 160–162. Pearson, D. G., Mental imagery and creative thought. Proceedings of the British Academy, Vol. 147, 2007, pp. 187–212. Pearson, D. G., De Beni, R., and Cornoldi, C., The generation and transformation of visuo-spatial mental images. In M. Denis, R. H. Logie, C. Cornoldi, M. de Vega, and J. Engelkamp (Eds.), Imagery, language and visuo-spatial thinking. Hove: Psychology Press, 2001, pp. 1–23. Shepard, R. N., and Metzler, J., Mental rotation of 3-dimensional objects. Science, Vol. 171 No. 3972, 1971, pp. 701–703.
Involuntary
The generation of involuntary mental imagery is created directly from present sensory stimulation and perceptual information, such as when someone sees an object, creates mental images of it, and maintains this imagery as they look away or close their eyes; or when someone hears a noise and maintains an auditory image of it, after the sound ceases or is no longer perceptible.
Voluntary
Voluntary mental imagery may resemble previous sensory perception and experience, recalled from memory; or the images may be entirely novel and the product of fantasy.Hitch, G. J., Brandimonte, M. A., and Walker, P., Two types of representation in visual memory—Evidence from the effects of stimulus contrast on image combination. Memory and Cognition, Vol. 23, No. 2, 1995, pp. 147–154.Pearson, D. G., and Logie, R. H., Effects of stimulus modality and working memory load on mental synthesis performance. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, Vol. 23, Nos. 2-3, 2004, pp. 183–192.
Technique
The term guided imagery denotes the technique used in the second (voluntary) instance, by which images are recalled from long-term or short-term memory, or created from fantasy, or a combination of both, in response to guidance, instruction, or supervision. Guided imagery is, therefore, the assisted simulation or re-creation of perceptual experience across sensory modalities.Kosslyn S.M., Ganis G., Thompson W.L. Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. Vol. 2, No. 9, 2001, pp. 635–642.Pearson D.G. Mental imagery and creative thought. Proceedings of the British Academy. Vol. 147, 2007; pp. 187–212.
Clinical investigation and scientific research
Mental imagery can result from both voluntary and involuntary processes, and it comprises simulation or recreation of perceptual experience across all sensory modalities,Sources: Kosslyn, S. M., Ganis, G., and Thompson, W. L., Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Vol. 2, No. 9, 2001, pp. 635–642. Pearson, D. G., Mental imagery and creative thought. Proceedings of the British Academy, Vol. 147, 2007, pp. 187–212. including olfactory imagery, gustatory imagery, haptic imagery, and motor imagery.Sources: Stevenson, R. J., and Case, T. I., Olfactory imagery: A review. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2005, pp. 244–264. (olfactory imagery) Tiggemann, M., and Kemps, E., The phenomenology of food cravings: The role of mental imagery. Appetite, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2005, pp. 305–313. (gustatory imagery) Juttner, M., and Rentschler, I., Imagery in multi-modal object learning. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2002, pp. 197–198. (haptic imagery) Holmes, P., and Calmels, C., A neuroscientific review of imagery and observation use in sport. Journal of Motor Behavior, Vol. 40, No. 5, 2008, pp. 433–445. (motor imagery) Olsson, C. J., and Nyberg, L., Motor imagery: If you can't do it, you won't think it. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, Vol. 20, No. 5, 2010, pp. 711–715. (motor imagery) McAvinue, L. P., and Robertson, I. H., Measuring motor imagery ability: A review. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2008, pp. 232–251. (motor imagery) Nonetheless, visual and auditory mental images are reported as being the most frequently experienced by people ordinarily as well as in controlled experiments,Sources: Betts, G. H., The distribution and functions of mental imagery. New York: Columbia University, 1909. Tiggemann, M., and Kemps, E., The phenomenology of food cravings: The role of mental imagery. Appetite, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2005, pp. 305–313. with visual imagery remaining the most extensively researched and documented in scientific literature.Sources: Kosslyn, S. M., Thompson, W. L., and Ganis, G., The case for mental imagery. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006. Pearson, D. G., De Beni, R., and Cornoldi, C., The generation and transformation of visuo-spatial mental images. In M. Denis, R. H. Logie, C. Cornoldi, M. de Vega, and J. Engelkamp (Eds.), Imagery, language and visuo-spatial thinking. Hove: Psychology Press, 2001, pp. 1–23. Logie, R. H., Visuo-spatial working memory Hove. UK: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995.
In experimental and cognitive psychology, researchers have concentrated primarily on voluntary and deliberately generated imagery, which the participant or patient creates, inspects, and transforms, such as by evoking imagery of an intimidating social event, and transforming the images into those indicative of a pleasant and self-affirming experience.
In psychopathology, clinicians have typically focused on involuntary imagery which "comes to mind" unbidden, such as in a depressed person's experience of intrusive unwelcome negative images indicative of sadness, hopelessness, and morbidity;Sources: Kosslyn, S. M., Image and mind. Harvard University Press, 1980. Kosslyn, S. M., Seeing and imagining in the cerebral hemispheres: a computational approach. Psychological review, Vol. 94, No. 2, 1987, p. 148. Kosslyn, S. M., Image and brain: The resolution of the imagery debate. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1994. or images that recapitulate previous distressing events that characterize posttraumatic stress disorder.Sources: Ehlers, A., and Clark, D. M., A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, Vol. 38, No. 4, 2000, pp. 319–345. Brewin, C. R., Dalgleish, T., and Joseph, S., A dual representation theory of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Review, Vol. 103, No. 4, 1996, pp. 670–686.