As a practice offering holistic clinical training events and wellness events for clinicians and folks on a self-discovery journey, we here at Open 2 the Journey know that each clinical modality offers its own unique benefits.
After years of experience within the field, we have developed our own approach to help therapists better understand how to bring imagery into sessions with clients — Integrative Imagery. This practice seeks to help our clients with self-regulation, healing, processing, and so much more.
While influenced by the work of many other renowned therapists in the practice of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM), our distinct approach dives deeper into how imagery can influence your practice and offer up various pathways to vision and self-discovery for your clients.
What is Imagery?
On an expansive level, imagery is a fundamental part of the human experience. It allows us to perceive, sense, and intuitively understand the world beyond simple visual representations. Imagery arises spontaneously, or intentionally, and most often carries emotional depth and personal significance for individuals. It can manifest through memories, bodily sensations, intuitive impressions, or even symbolic figures — regardless of how imagery forms it can help bridge unconscious and conscious experiences for your clients.
Historically, imagery has been central to communication, storytelling, and cultural rituals. With modern science, neuroscience confirms that imagery is neurologically foundational to human cognition and perception. This contradicts the common misconception that imagination is mere fantasy, showing that imagery creates real experiences in the brain that shape our sense of self and the world around us.
Here are four types of imagery:
- Visual Imagery: This involves seeing mental pictures, such as imagining a peaceful landscape.
- Somatic Imagery: This is felt in the body, like warmth in the chest or tension in the stomach.
- Intuitive Imagery: This is an inner knowing or felt sense that emerges as a deep truth.
- Archetypal Imagery: This represents universal symbols or figures, like the Wise Figure or Warrior, carrying deeper meaning and insight.
When we engage with imagery, we can uncover messages from our inner world. This can lead us to greater self-awareness, emotional healing, and transformation.
What is Integrative Imagery?
Integrative Imagery, as developed by Cara Marinucci and Erin Johnson, is a therapeutic approach that uses guided imagery to help individuals access their inner wisdom, emotions, and subconscious mind for healing, insight, and personal growth. You can view it as a blend of visualization, relaxation, and mindfulness used to help your clients facilitate deep exploration and transformation.
We created this approach to provide therapists with a better understanding of how to bring imagery into sessions with their clients — from resourcing and regulating, and healing and processing to unlocking creativity and insights, and spiritual connection. When developing Integrative Imagery, we were influenced by pioneers, such as Dr. Jean Achterberg, Dr. Martin Rossman, Belleruth Naparstek, and Dr. Helen Bonny who have all contributed to the understanding of imagery in healing.
Integrative Imagery is rooted in the belief that each person holds an innate wisdom that can guide their healing process. One key aspect of Integrative Imagery is meeting your clients where they are and allowing the imagery process to lead them where they need to go.
Here are three phases that this process can evolve through:
- Opening to the Magic Moment: You create space for spontaneous insight and deep connection.
- Engaging the Inner World: You actively help your client explore imagery that arises, whether through structured scripts or interactive dialogue
- Integration: You help your client process and apply insights gained from the imagery experience.
This explanation and detail is helpful, but you might wonder, “How can I incorporate Integrative Imagery into my own practice?”
Practitioners can integrate imagery into various therapeutic modalities, including counseling, coaching, bodywork, and wellness practices. The techniques you can use as a practitioner may include guided visualization, mindfulness-based imagery, dreamwork, and the use of music or storytelling to facilitate deep exploration.
What are the benefits of Integrative Imagery?
There are several benefits including, but not limited to, helping to reduce stress and anxiety, promoting emotional healing, enhancing self-awareness, supporting trauma recovery, improving problem-solving, and fostering personal growth and creativity.
Who might most benefit from Integrative Imagery?
Integrative Imagery is beneficial for individuals seeking personal growth, emotional healing, stress reduction, trauma recovery, and creative exploration. It can also be helpful for those dealing with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and life transitions.
Integrative Imagery can be practiced both in person and virtually.
For in-person sessions, the practitioner and client should meet in a comfortable setting, where relaxation techniques and guided imagery are facilitated through voice, music, or other expressive modalities.
For virtual sessions, these are conducted via video with the practitioner guiding the client through visualization and imagery while ensuring a quiet and supportive environment. Virtual sessions may also use recorded music or guided meditations to enhance the experience.
What is the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM)?
The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) was created by Dr. Helen Bonny — a music therapist who developed the approach to integrate music and imagery for psychological and spiritual growth. She later used her extensive knowledge of music, her research, and her intuition to create over 40 music programs! These music programs were designed for people ready to open up to peak or spiritual experiences, creative expansion, and personal growth, as well as those with therapeutic issues.
Dr. Bonny was one of the original therapists at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC) in the early 1970s, where they explored the therapeutic use of psychedelics. Her contributions brought forth a greater understanding of music and consciousness, and how music can be a carrying wave and container for a client’s session. Dr. Bonny’s time at MPRC led her to develop an approach using sequenced music programs without the psychedelics, and thus, Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) was born.
GIM uses carefully selected music to guide individuals into deep states of consciousness, where they explore imagery, emotions, and insights for therapeutic purposes.
As Fellows of the Association for Music and Imagery, we are pleased to be able to integrate this modality into our broader services and have used this training to influence our own practice and trainings.
What happens in a GIM session?
A GIM session typically begins with a discussion between the therapist and their client to establish an intention or focus. The therapist provides an induction to support the client entering a relaxed state and then begins the music program chosen specifically for the intention.
As the music plays, the client shares the images, emotions, and sensations that arise for them, often in response to prompts or questions from the therapist. After about 20-30 minutes of music and dialogue, the therapist supports the integration of the experience through reflection and discussion.
Ready to learn more about Integrative Imagery?
Integrative Imagery is a versatile tool in clinical and wellness practices. It can be adapted in many ways, such as active visualization, dream exploration, body-centered imagery, and expressive arts integration. It can be used in individual or group settings, with or without music, and tailored to specific therapeutic or personal growth goals. Whether you decide to use structured scripts, creative scripting, or open-ended interactive dialogue to facilitate this experience, your choice or combination of ways to incorporate it into your practice can be fluid and adaptive.
We presented “The Healing Power of Guided Imagery: Opening to Unconscious Wisdom” at The Psychotherapy Networker Conference in 2024.
The presentation is now available as a digital seminar that may be ideal for therapists looking to expand their understanding of Integrative Imagery.