Daydreaming can be beneficial

By Charlotte Lankard

Have you ever sat across from someone who was talking to you and realized for the past few seconds you had not heard what the person was saying? Where were you? We call it daydreaming.

When used intentionally, we call it visualization or imagery — a technique often used by athletes. A golfer may form a mental map of the fairway, imagining precisely where he will place the ball on each shot; a high jumper may visualize every split second of his approach to and leap over the bar; a baseball pitcher may run a mental film of the ball from the time it leaves his hand until it lands in the catcher’s glove.

Now imagery is being used to help people lose weight, quit smoking, manage stress, prepare for surgery, fall asleep and face fear.

When you close your eyes and imagine yourself in a peaceful place, your body relaxes, blood pressure falls, heart rate slows and muscle tension decreases.

Or think, for example, of holding a fresh, juicy lemon in your hand. Imagine its texture, see the vividness of its yellow skin, slice it open and see the juice squirt out of it. Remember the lemon’s tart aroma and finally put it in your mouth, suck on it and taste the sour flavor as the juices roll over your tongue. More than likely, you may have begun to salivate.

The physical responses happen because the mind does not know the difference between the thought and the actual event. In more than 100 research studies, it has been shown that the mind can affect the functions of the body.

Several weeks before Dana Reeves lost her courageous fight with lung cancer, she filmed “The New Medicine” documentary for PBS. She said one of the things that got her husband, Christopher, through his illness and helped her with her illness was using a guided imagery CD by Diane Tusek.

She also believed that children and teens could benefit from learning to use guided imagery as a way to deal with life’s uncertainties. Children are extremely resilient. If they feel safe, which guided imagery provides, then you’re giving them the best possible tool any parent could give a child — the ability to cope, Reeves said.

At The James Hall Center for Mind, Body and Spirit, I often use guided imagery when working with clients and we teach guided imagery in our summer classes for children. I even used it a few weeks ago with my 13-year-old granddaughter who had a hard time falling asleep.

Guided imagery is especially useful in facing fears — whether that be an illness, a lifestyle change or fear of flying.

If much of your traveling is done by air, and you find yourself anxious and fearful, there are ways to make it more enjoyable. With a CD player and a set of headphones, you can listen to CDs such as “In-Flight Yoga” and “Fly Without Fear,” both available at www.healthjourneys.com.

And if you don’t have a CD player, don’t discount the power of good old-fashioned daydreaming. Not only can it make you have a more enjoyable flight and a better day, but a more peaceful and productive life.

Charlotte Lankard is a marriage and family therapist in private practice with Baptist Counseling Associates and director of the James L. Hall Center for Mind, Body and Spirit at Integris.