How can using visualization (guided imagery) reduce stress? (0:19)
Visualization, or guided imagery, can help reduce stress by distracting you from the stressful element, and by causing a relaxation response in the muscles. Watch sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, explain how this meditative technique can calm you.
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Guided imagery can help reduce stress in a number of ways. Number one, it will distract you from the stressful thing that you're thinking about. The number two, it will actually cause a relaxation response in those muscles that are tense in relation to that stress. So again, guided imagery does two things to help you relax and be better.
Michael J. Breus, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He specializes in sleep disorders and is one of only 163 psychologists in the world with his credentials and distinction.
