In the late 1990’s I purchased and read the book, Staying Well with Guided Imagery, by Belleruth Naparstek. Belleruth is a psychotherapist, author, founder of Health Journeys, and guided imagery pioneer. After securing permission from Health Journeys, I incorporated Belleruth’s guided imagery audios and scripts into both my professional and personal life. As you can see from the photo…cassettes were in use at that time. These copies still reside in my home office, and yes, they still work. The results that my clients experienced when I paired therapeutic massage alongside guided imagery were outstanding…each client reported a number of positive results such as less pain, higher quality sleep, anxiety diminished, and their moods improved.
Shortly after the attack on 9/11, I traveled to attend a conference in Palm Springs, CA where I met Belleruth Naparstek in person, asked her to autograph my book (shown), and earned an Association of Humanistic Psychology Certification in Guided Imagery. Flying to that conference was a surreal experience in itself due to the shock we all felt after the twin towers fell in New York. Arriving in LAX from my home town of Salt Lake was eerie - LAX was full of military personnel donned in combat gear in case of further attack. Nevertheless, my traveling companions and I were grateful that we took our chances traveling by air during a frightening time. The conference and training were well worth the risk!
Later in life, when I became ill and faced hip replacement surgery, I used the CD listed below to help me prepare for each of the three joint replacement surgeries I endured in 2011 and 2012. This is the same guided imagery audio that I mention in my book, Butternut to Bionic: A Resource Guide for Hip Replacement Surgery. The powerful and reassuring messages alongside beautiful music boosted my confidence, comforted my fears, soothed anger and grief, reduced stress, and helped me to manage pain. Guided imagery offers impactful results that have been well documented. Read the research here.
A Meditation to Promote Successful Surgery By Belleruth Naparstek
Belleruth has been a long-time mentor of mine, and even though our in-person meeting was brief…her work continues to inspire, motivate, and soothe me.
Notice her signature in the photo? Belleruth inspired me to wish others to ‘Be Well’. This is the tag line I adopted, in tribute to her. Guided imagery is a valuable tool that is accessible, affordable, and continues to assist countless numbers of people, which is why I continue to encourage others to incorporate guided imagery into their wellness routine.