Visualization as a powerful self-regulation tool
By Jill McCubbin-Clare, Registered Acupuncturist / Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner / Certified Yoga Therapist
I have incorporated visualization in my work as an Acupuncturist for 25 years. In the early 80’s, I attended a workshop in California by Shakti Gawain, who was the modern pioneer of self-regulation. Her book Creative Visualization is iconic in the self-help field.
In 1997, Candace Pert, Ph.D published her groundbreaking book called Why You Feel the Way You Feel; Molecules of Emotion. The late Dr. Pert discovered the “opiate receptor” and as a Neuroscientist she devoted her research to understanding the biomolecular origins of our emotions and bringing it into the scientific forum and subsequently to the average person.
Dr. Pert’s main revolutionary insight remains to this day: Our emotions and their chemistry are the link between our mind and body and help us to self-regulate thus affecting our well being.
The National Institute of Health has a special branch of body/mind research called Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) or “Psychoimmunoendocinology” as Dr. Pert used to call it. It is accepted now that neuropeptides can influence blood flow from one part of the body to the other. The research shows that the reason acupuncture stops pain is because when the needles are well placed, endorphins are released within the brain. These molecules cascade from the brain into the bloodstream. Dr. Pert proposes that acupuncture can release emotional congestion or blockage due to the neuropeptides inducing a flow of informational peptides of which there are over 100. Body work of all types, including modalities such as meditation and hypnosis can also influence the neuropeptide release.
I have used visualization in my acupuncture practice for over 25 years. With further modern research and my years of practice, I have delved further into using medical and anatomical knowledge to be precise with the patient’s disease pattern or wellness pattern. In other words, if I feel the patient needs stress release and tension release, I will use breath and body visuals and make reference to the nervous system, Vagus nerve etc. I will make it like a journey that we go on together. I always cue the patient that they need not focus on my words as the information goes into the subconscious mind and will have an impact. Another example is if a patient needs blood circulation in the feet and hands or in another part of the body, I will use visuals of the blood flow from the brain to the area including lymphatic flow etc.
You can start your day by visualizing what you want to accomplish and how you would like to be, emotionally speaking. If something challenging is going on in your life, you can still start the day by imagining a calmer state. Get out in nature and focus your mind and sight on the sky, trees etc. Take control of the way you feel and do not depend on others for your mood.
If you would like to experience visualization within an acupuncture session, I would love to help!
