Instructions on imagination techniques

We would like to introduce you to two different types of imagination techniques.
First of all, two imagination techniques that are mainly for feeling good and relaxing, and then two exercises that are supposed to help you to distance yourself from stressful issues in order to be able to relax.

Exercises to feel good and relax

The inner safe place

In this exercise, you are instructed to build a place in your imagination where you feel very safe and secure.

Summer meadow

In this exercise, you imagine lying in a summer meadow and enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Distancing exercises

Safe exercise

In this exercise, you put the issues that are currently bothering you into a safe and lock it, so that you can then feel relieved and relax for the moment.
Here it is sometimes helpful to work with “proxy” objects. If you’re stressed about your thesis deadline, you might want to lock away your laptop. If the stress is very much related to a lecturer, then you can perhaps lock away a photo of that lecturer. Sometimes you have to try different objects until you find one that works for you.

The red balloon

This distancing exercise should also help you to distance yourself from currently stressful issues. It involves making the stressful issues fly away in a red balloon.