We’ve all heard the expression, “go to your happy place” at some point or another. In movies, in television shows, in video games. Perhaps we’ve even been told this by a well-meaning relative or friend, who just wants us to feel better or calm down. We’ve heard it so many times in such unhelpful and cliche contexts, that for most of us it has likely ceased having any meaning at all. We’ve tried to imagine a stereotypical beach or idyllic field and had little or no success in actually feeling better. So where does this actually come from?
The happy place cliche, as I refer to it, is a gross simplification of Guided Imagery: a well-recognized technique for reducing anxiety, stress, and even physical pain. The key elements of guided imagery that differentiates it from the happy place cliche are that it is much more in-depth and utilizes all of the senses, and that the imagery conjured is adapted to the specific needs of the moment, rather than always being a generically happy setting.
When we practice guided imagery, we imagine a setting or process that directly counteracts the feelings we are experiencing. This need not be “happy”, though it can be, and need not be a physical setting at all. What is most important is that it feels intuitively clear that it would counteract your feeling, even if it is not a “logical” interaction. When we imagine this setting or event, we imagine it using all five senses. What does it look like? What sounds are present? What is the feeling inside me or on my skin? What do I taste and smell? We mentally generate each of these feelings to immerse our brain in that setting, since imagining a setting is perceived by your brain in partially the same manner as actually being there.
Guided imagery has done wonders for managing my own ADHD. When struggling with focus, my immediate, intuitive thought is that it feels like my brain is overheating. So I close my eyes and imagine the most intuitively obvious solution: pouring ice water on it. I visualize the water being poured, hear the hissing of steam fade into the clinking of ice cubes on the water’s surface, feel the relief of the sudden stop of steam pressure and hot temperatures from the inside of my head. And just like that: the thoughts quiet down, the leg stops its agitated movement, and when I open my eyes I am refreshed to focus anew for a time. This type of focused and engaging imagery can work not only for focus, but anxiety, concerns, phobias, even physical discomfort or pain. This, among many other coping skills and cognitive techniques, are key in the skills that therapy can offer you: if only you’ll take the leap to try it.
Nick Callaghan is a graduate clinician at Vervewell Counseling, delivering specialized individual therapy for young adults across the Fort Worth area. Pursuing his master’s degree at Lamar University, Nick assists clients in uncovering personal strengths. He utilizes a versatile blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Solution-Focused methodologies. Backed by extensive field experience as a Tarrant County mental health case manager, Nick provides practical behavioral tools to help people reshape unhelpful thinking through major life shifts.
