How to Stay Grounded With Visualization Meditation

Meditation sounds like an awesome idea to many of us, but it can be super challenging to get started and stay on track if you've never tried it before. Using a practice called visualization meditation may just be the answer you are looking for.

Visualization meditation, or guided imagery, is simpler than you might think. It’s a meditation approach that focuses on using vivid imagery during meditation. “Visualization uses the imaginative power of the mind to conjure up images that help people relax, focus, or train attention,” Anne-Marie Emanuelli, meditation teacher and founder of Mindful Frontiers LLC, describes.

Meditation isn’t always easy because we get distracted or caught up in our thoughts, Emanuelli says. “Visualization can be a way to ‘trick’ the mind into focusing on something we imagine is going on in the moment,” she says. “That becomes our mindfulness anchor in the meditation practice.”

Not only can visualization meditation help you stay grounded during meditation, but it actually has numerous mental health benefits, and even some physical ones, too. Here, we’ll take a close look at visualization meditation, including benefits, how to use visualization during meditation, tips for getting started, and how to manage any challenges that come up along the way.

Benefits of Visualization Meditation

People who practice visualization meditation will tell you that there are numerous benefits, many that you may notice right away.

Emanuelli says that visualization mediation is a great way to train the mind to focus on more positive or inspiring thoughts. She also says mediation can help with focus and attention, something many of us struggle with while meditating. Emanuelli recommends visualization meditation to beginning meditators, because it’s often an easy way to get started.

Additionally, visualization meditation can help with some of those pesky, unhelpful thoughts that often run in a loop in our minds. In particular, visualization meditation is helpful to cultivate cognitive defusion, which is the ability to separate yourself from your negative thoughts, says Ashley Fields, LCSW, licensed therapist and perinatal mental health specialist at Elevate Therapy & Consulting.

There are many well researched benefits to visualization meditation as well, in the realm of both mental and physical health. Here are some highlights from recent research:

• A 2018 study showed that nature-based guided imagery is effective at managing and reducing anxiety.
• A small study from 2023 found that visualization notably increased motivation among students while simultaneously reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
• A study from 2023 noted that people who practiced guided imagery showed improved attention, cognitive functioning, and emotional well-being.
• A 2017 study that looked at patients in a progress care unit concluded that patients using guided imagery had reduced pain, anxiety, and insomnia.
• A 2018 study on female patients with fibromyalgia found that a combination of guided imagery and group music therapy may help decrease pain sensitivity and depression associated with fibromyalgia.
  

How Do I Practice Visualization Meditation?

Ok, so let’s get into the nitty-gritty. How exactly does visualization meditation work and how do you get started with it?

Visualization meditation involves meditating while visualizing different things in your mind’s eye. That might look like a traditional meditation, where you sit or lie down in silence for several minutes or longer. Or it might look like something like walking or movement meditation. The idea is that however you meditate, you add in a visualization element.

Suzette Bray, LMFT, licensed therapist who uses guided meditation in her practice and has started a guided meditation YouTube channel, suggests starting small, with short 5-10 minute sessions. “You can increase duration as you become more adept and more comfortable,” she says. You don’t have to do it alone, either. “Apps, videos and audio recordings can be of great assistance,” she offers.

Different Visualization Techniques

You may be wondering what you should visualize while meditating. There are no real rules to this for visualization—you can visualize anything you want, really! But our experts offered some techniques that may be helpful.

Bray says that the following techniques may be a good way to get started:

• Try a guided meditation where a narrator describes a scene or journey in detail
• Some simple visualizations include imagining an glowing orb or a tranquil lake
• For chronic pain, imagine healing substances or energy flowing through the body and targeting areas of discomfort
• Consider a form of visualization meditation called goal-oriented visualization, where you visualize yourself succeeding at your personal goals

Fields recommends a type of visualization exercise called “leaves on a stream.” Here’s how to do it:

• Imagine a stream of water that flows through a forest
• As you picture this stream, you may have other thoughts that spontaneously come into your mind
• If you experience a thought like that, picture yourself putting that thought on a leaf that is floating on the stream
• Don’t try to judge the thought—just place it on that leaf in the stream
• Try this exercise in a comfy quiet space and note how you are feeling before and after the exercise
• If you need further help with this exercise, consider this guided video from the Eating Recovery Center
  

Integrating Visualization Meditation into Daily Life

Visualization may sound well and good, but how exactly do you make it a practice? And what are some tips for an effective visualization meditation practice?

“The plan that works is the one you will actually follow,” says Fields. She suggests first picking a visualization or set of images that resonates with you. “Practice it and create a routine or ritual for yourself so that you get to a place where you can use it with relatively little difficulty,” she says.

“To reap the greatest benefits, people need to commit to a daily practice, whether it is 5, 10, or 20 minutes or longer,” Emanuelli explains. “And each day is new and different so if one day a person was not able to sit still and do their meditation, that’s ok. The intention is there and there will always be another chance to try again.”

In other words, be kind and patient with yourself as you integrate visualization meditation into daily life.

Common Challenges and Solutions

It’s totally common to experience roadblocks and challenges when you first embark on a visualization meditation practice.

But there are solutions to challenges like this. “It is essential to acknowledge these thoughts, feelings and distractions and gently guide yourself back to the visualization without judgment,” Bray suggests.

Another challenge people often have is becoming overly focused on the outcome of visualization. For example, they may be hyper-focused on reaching an extremely relaxed state. Bray has solutions for that, too.

“Avoiding becoming too attached to specific outcomes is helpful,” Bray says. “Life is pressure filled enough without becoming super goal oriented during visualization. ‘Oh no!!!! I'm not relaxed enough!’ certainly does not lead to stress relief.”

Precautions and Considerations

Visualization mediation is rarely harmful and precautions aren’t usually necessary. However, sometimes certain imagery can be triggering for people, Bray says. “It is important to step away from imagery that is uncomfortable and choose visualizations that are comfortable and feel safe,” she recommends.

Emanuelli says you should try to choose imagery that you find personally relaxing and stay away from any imagery associated with past trauma. But this is not always possible. “It is possible that when we are visualizing something emotional that we’d like to work through, trauma can creep in and if we’re not prepared or understand, this can be uncomfortable,” she notes.

If you are finding that visualization meditation is triggering for you in any way, it can be helpful to do the meditation under the guidance of a meditation teacher or therapist. There are types of meditations that are specifically geared toward people working through trauma, says Emanuelli, including a type of meditation called trauma-informed meditation, which is helpful for people with PTSD or anxiety issues.

The Bottom Line

When starting a new type of meditation, it’s easy to overthink things. Trust us—we’ve been there too! Visualization meditation is exactly what it sounds like. It’s where you guided imagery while meditating. If you need help getting started with visualization meditation, consider an app or online guided visualization meditation program. Also consider connecting with a meditation teacher for even more personalized care.