CONNECTING TO SPIRITUALITY THROUGH GUIDED VISUALIZATION
Meditation can be a deeply spiritual practice for many. Whether we connect with a meditation or yoga class, through an app on our phones, or in therapy, meditation can invoke a spiritual experience. There are many forms of meditation, and meditation can look different based on which culture the practice stems from. It can also be uniquely personalized and tailed to the individual’s experience.
Guided Visualization can include anything that feels soothing, peaceful, or healing. Sometimes Guided Visualizations may include looking within the Self to uncover deeper truths or unresolved hurts that need healing. Guided Visualizations can also offer safety, a healthy form of escape, and hope for the future. A regular meditation practice can promote emotional regulation, mindfulness and balance, and a way to fulfill spiritual needs.
One form of Guided Visualization is a Safe Space Visualization. This includes visualizing in the mind’s eye a safe space; this can be some place the person has been before, a place they have always wanted to go, or some place that is completely imaginary but is created specifically for the purpose of providing safety to the person. It might be a space that relates to a spiritual experience one has had in their life. This place might include a protector, or even their higher power, that aid the person in feeling safe. A Safe Space Visualization may include utilizing all five senses to connect with the safety of the space. There may also be a form of ritual included that the person could practice in their safe space. This form of visualization can be powerful in healing trauma, soothing anxiety, and quieting negative self-talk.
Another form of Guided Visualization is a Manifestation Visualization. This includes identifying goals, hopes for the future, or desires that the person wants to invite into their life. The person can visualize in their mind’s eye that they have attained whatever it is they are trying to manifest. They can observe how their life might be different, how their needs might be met, how they would feel, and how they would interact with the people in their life and the world. An element of prayer can also be utilized in this type of meditation to practice faith and increase feelings of hope. This form of visualization can be powerful in gaining insight to the direction we want our lives to go in.
Guided Visualizations may also include Chakra work. The Chakras are spiritual centers within the body and include The Root Chakra (base of the spine), The Sacral Chakra (lower abdomen), The Solar Plexus Chakra (upper abdomen), The Heart Chakra (center of the chest), The Throat Chakra (throat), The Third Eye Chakra (the space between the eyes), and the Crown Chakra (top of the head). This may also include some Affirmation work to heal each Chakra (such as “I am grounded” for The Root Chakra or “I speak my truth” for The Throat Chakra or “I connect with my Higher Power” for The Crown Chakra). It is important that when we practice meditation, we honor the culture and heritage that we borrow this practice from. By learning about Chakras, we can practice this honoring. This form of visualization can be powerful in fostering connection between spiritual experience in the body as well as empowering body acceptance.
Guided Visualization allows us to not only get in touch with out intuition, but also with our Inner Child and the Inner Child’s natural predilection for creativity. Another form of Guided Visualization is to connect with the Inner Child. This might include interacting with the Inner Child in a safe space, as your current age self, assuming the role of the protector. It might include visualizing a painful childhood memory a rewriting the memory by imagining that your current age self, your protector, or your Higher Power intervene in some way and save the inner child from pain. This type of visualization can be powerful in healing trauma or unresolved pain from childhood.
If you are interested in experiencing a Guided Visualization Meditation focusing on healing the Inner Child, please join us on 2/25/21 at 7 PM for a meditation practice specifically targeted at this type of healing. We offer a 30-minute Guided Meditation Class every week on Thursday’s at 7 PM for $15. We would love to hold space for you while you practice this deeply healing experience.
