Relaxation and Visualization Techniques: Practical Applications E-Book

Marco Bramucci

• Herausgeber: Marco Bramucci
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Relaxation is a natural condition that owing to stress or excess of activity is often confined to the detriment of our health. The aim of relaxation techniques is to regain and increase our wellbeing, reducing anxiety, stress and all the problems that stem from them. Visualization is a mental technique that has been used for centuries in eastern meditation and that leverages our imaginative potential. When combined, relaxation and visualization techniques can give us great benefits, giving us the opportunity to use all our capacities, overcome our limits, reduce anxiety or stress related illnesses, and promote personal change.

The following is a list of some of the book contents:
• 2 complete and independent relaxation exercises, to start relaxing in no time
• More than 15 guided visualizations to increase wellbeing and promote self-change
• Hints to create yourself your own effective visualizations
• A complete course of Autogenic Training (standard exercises)
• Advanced applications of Autogenic Training (affirmations or self-suggestions)
• Progressive Muscular Relaxation course
• How to use mental techniques for sports and pain management.

Marco Bramucci is a Complementary Medicine operator. He studied Acupuncture and Tuina massage, and has been using Mental Techniques for more than twenty years, especially Autogenic Training, Visualization and Buddhist Meditation. This is his second book after Usa i tuoi Sogni (Use your Dreams), a course in Dreamwork.

Leseprobe

Marco Bramucci

RELAXATION AND VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES

Practical applications

©2017 Marco Bramucci

All rights reserved.

This work is protected byCopyzero.

Disclaimer Although the techniques and exercises contained in this bookcan be of great benefit, they do not replace medicalorpsychological therapiesand diagnoses. Relaxationand visualizationexercisesmustnot bedonewhile driving, workingorcarrying outother activities that require attention. The author is not responsible forthemisuse of the information contained in thisbook.

Table of contents

Introduction

Why combining visualization and relaxation techniques

Stress, relaxation and inner resources

Basic concepts on the techniques discussed in the book

Relaxation

Progressive Relaxation exercise

Complete version

Short version

Fast version

The Body Scan exercise

General Relaxation exercise with self-suggestions

Visualization

Duration, environment and positions to perform visualization

Guided visualizations

The waterfall of light

Embracing yourself in the past

Meeting the self from the future

The newborn

Reaching the center of the sun

Imagine you are there

Finding your own inner oasis

In the rainbow

The wooden mountain hut

Disperse the unpleasant sensations

The source of healing

Imagine your body made of light

Waves of light

Stopping the reproduction of diseased cells

The sphere of light

Before falling asleep and after waking up

Breathing the light

How to cope with distressing images

Tips for visualization in case of physical ailments

Relaxation Techniques

Autogenic Training

Theory

Setting and positions for the practice of relaxation

Standard Autogenic Training exercises

Explanations and considerations on the experiences during the exercises

How to shorten the execution time

Simplified Autogenic Training

Affirmations: what they are and how they work

How to create your own affirmations

Autogenic Training for sports

Extreme applications of Autogenic Training

Advanced exercises

Conclusions

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Theory

Practice

Shortened routine

Alternative and additional exercises

How to combine Progressive Muscle Relaxation with Autogenic Training

Mental techniques for sports

Mental techniques for survival

Visualization and relaxation for pain management

The soothing power of natural elements

Selected bibliography

Introduction

Thisbookisaddressed toallthepeople who want to make the most of their potential,overcometheir limits, eliminate or reduceailmentscaused byanxiety and stress, and develop a better mental and physicalcondition. Totake advantageofthetechniquesthatI willexpose,no prior knowledge on the subjectisrequired,thereforethe book can be used bybothbeginners andexperts.I have written this book aftermore thantwenty years ofpersonalexperience in the field of relaxation and visualization. I was twenty-threewhen I learnedAutogenic Trainingand started using it.Since thenIhave appliedit,together withall theothertechniqueshere exposed,indifferentfields: sports, meditation, qigong, work,and of courseIhaveusedthemasmererelaxationtechniques. I have learnedmost of thesemethodsunder the supervision ofteachers(martial arts, qigongand meditationmasters, andpsychotherapists),but alsobyresearchingand personalstudy.

Relaxation and visualization techniques are self-help tools that havethe followinggoals:

increase

peacefulness

and concentration

reduce the level of anxiety and stress

increase

recuperative powers

and improve sports performances

promote

personal change

,

by

both

changing your

behavior and motivat

ing

yourself

.

You willrealizethat using relaxation and visualization islikegoing onajourneyinsideyourself.I will giveyoutheinstructions tomove around andwillenable youtodraw your ownmap oftheterritory.

With regard to the organization of the book, after some brief introductoryremarkson relaxation and visualization, we will start with a simple but effective progressive relaxation exercise that will allow you to relax and relieve many stress-related disorders.Thiswill befollowed by another general relaxationexercise which ispreparatory to the use of self-suggestions. Boththeexerciseswillbe useful for the practice of visualization, a topic that will be discussed in thefollowingchapter,containing a series of guided visualizationexercises.ThenI’ll thoroughly explaintwoof the best known and practicedrelaxation techniques:Autogenic Training and Progressive Muscle Relaxation.Compared tothe first twoexercises, boththeserelaxationsystemsneed a longer period to be learned, but haveawiderfield of applicationand therefore youwill be able toemploythemmore extensively.Subsequently, Iwill introduce some examples forsports, military or paramilitaryapplications, and finallyI will talk abouthowtouse all the techniques forpainmanagement.I advise you nottojumpimmediatelyto the part of the book that interests youthemost,and highly recommendtoreadthe entire book, from beginning to end, get an idea of whichtechniques maybemore suitablefor you, and then choose the one ortheones topractice.

Whycombiningvisualization and relaxationtechniques

The boundariesbetween thedifferentrelaxation and visualization methods are not clear and often these methodsare similarin some way.In fact,to create a calming effect,all relaxation techniques reducethe attention totheexternal stimuliand directit tothebody,for example tothebreathing.Another example is the fact thatwhen we relax, some physical sensations, likeheaviness, warmth oratingling sensationinthe limbs,emergeregardless of the system used torelax.So, don’t lose your patience if I will repeat someconcepts orgo into themin the explanation of different relaxation and visualization techniques. In part these repetitions willbe usefulto make the various chapters independent of each other.However,eachtechnique has its own characteristics and particularuses, as we will see. To get the mostout ofthis book, I recommend to learn and master a specifictechnique, but also to take advantage of the others tocomplementyour favoriteone.As an example, theProgressiveRelaxation exercisematches perfectly with visualization, andeven greater effects can be obtained by combiningAutogenic Trainingand visualization. Relaxation and visualization can both be leveraged to achieve a state of mental and physicalrelaxation,the one increasing the effect of the other and vice versa.

The main purpose ofrelaxation techniques is toleadus to a state ofdeeptranquility. They act against the negative effectscausedbyan excess of activitywhich isnormally requiredat workandin many otherspheres of our lives.Usually we are required to beactive, busy, smart and toachieve goals as quickly as possible. If we do it,they will think highly of us,but in the endcomplying with this way of livingwill make usrestless, tenseandunbalanced towards a way of being alwayson the look-out.Moreover, thisunhealthy way of livingbecomes the norm,soeven when it wouldn’tbe required, we stay on the look-out.Thismakesus lose the ability to relax andfinallyit makes us loosetheconnectionwithour inner selves. Relaxation techniques tend torestore thelostbalance,addingquietto our stressfulandhectic lives.In this respect, theyareameansfordeconditioning. It’slike to retire to a desert island for a fewminutes toregainourenergy,to recharge our batteries so that we canface the dailyroutinewith greater calm, clarity and vitality. The main purpose ofvisualizationis self-change and in general the improvement of some kind of performance.For this technique torun smoothly,youhave toperformitinastate of relaxation.Visualization, in turn,has a calming effect anddeepensthe state of relaxation. That’s why,as I said earlier, the boundary between visualizationand relaxation techniques isnot so neat.They both calm us down.

Stress, relaxation and innerresources

We allreactto stress with the fight or flight response, the same ancestral method usedbythefirsthominids. This ancientbehaviorhas allowed us tosurvivewhen facingreal dangers, such asanattack by wild beasts. It consistedintwo possible reactions:attackingand fightingthe enemy, or runningaway from it.However,in today's societyobstaclesusuallyaren’t tangible, but areabstractinstead.Fear of failure, uncertainty of the future,and so no, are our actual enemies.Nevertheless,we respond to these stressorslike if they were real and material(thewild beasts),but unfortunately thefight or flight behavior isn’t appropriate nor effectivein these cases.In fact, it produces an excess of stress hormones which are useful ifwemust attack or flee, but poisonous ifthere aren’t tangibleobstacles.Basicallyifstress hormones aren’t usedto fight or run away, theychronically keep on circulate through the body. Their constant presencesends to the body a danger signalto which thebody respondsreducingallthephysiologicalfunctionsthatarenot strictly necessary to survive, that is:

the immune system stops working properly. This explains why we get sick more easily when we are stressed.

Sexual functions are inhibited.

Growth hormone production decreases. Usually, children living in difficult situations grow more slowly.

Metabolism changes: the assimilation of sugars, immediately ready to be absorbed, is favored at the expense of the assimilation of fat. This leads to an accumulation of fat and finally to obesity.

The muscles tend to be chronically tense, causing fatigue, pain, and contractures.

Unfortunately, the negative effects aremorethantheonesjust mentioned. The good news is thatwe allhavea huge amount of resources and direct or indirect experiences to use andrefer to,in ordertosolve our problems. Often these experiences and resources are not fully accessible because we are