Several different types of imagery are used depending on the application.
Most visualization techniques begin with relaxation, followed by summoning up a mental image. In one simple exercise
known as painting, you close your eyes, cover them with your palms, and concentrate on the color black. Try to make the
color fill your whole visual field, screening out any distracting images. To reduce stress, try concentrating first on a color you
associate with tension, and then mentally replace it with one that you find soothing; for example the color red changing to
blue. Or you may find it more relaxing to picture a peaceful natural scene, such as the unruffled surface of a pond, gently
rolling hills, a serene waterfall, evening in a beach watching the sun set, etc.
In a technique called guided imagery, participants visualize a goal they want to achieve, then imagine themselves going
through the process of achieving it. Severely ill patients, for example, are urged to picture their internal organs and imagine
them free of disease, or to picture tumors shrinking, or invading microorganisms succumbing to aggressive immune cells.
