Guided imagery for relaxation...please help!

[wheater]

Hi there. I am in need of some serious help to learn to relax and let go of my stress. (I'm knotted up with major headaches I can't get rid of). I've prayed and prayed, and studied and read the bible. What worked for me a long time ago, before I was walking with the Lord, is guided imagery and meditation. Is there a CD somewhere that is Christian based? Mostly I need something that helps me to stay focused, and that 'guides' me in to letting go of stress and handing it over to the Lord. I know that I should be able to do this, as a Christian, on my own, but this is something that has worked well for me before. Does anyone have any advice, pleeeease??? Thank you so much in advance.

 

[AutumnDreamer]

That sounds like hypnosis, is it similar?

 

[goldenviolet]

how about:
find a chistain music station and consentrate on the music and words instead of life. learn to worship and praise in it? ... in the bible where it talks about this, this is suppose to be our focus in worrisome struggles.

Philippians 4 :6-9
Meditate on These Things
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

my station is http://www.klove.com/
it is free. no spam. no commercials. no preaching.

 

[Johnnz]

Can you share more about why your are stressed - circumstances or more like a permanent state? Feel free to PM me if you want to keep any rpely more private.

John
NZ

 

[Treasurer]

I never did the imagery, but did the relaxation, diaphramatic breathing, hand warming, and bio feedback training.

All of that stuff never helped me too much til I got saved. Then the Lord started teaching me how to rid myself of stress. Of course his way is by not having it to begin with, like the scriptures teach us in Matthew 6:25-34 The one on dont worry. Took me quite awhile to grasp it though. And it is an ongoing process.

Of course I still can apply my other training the relaxation, breathing, hand warming, and bio feedback. But the key element that was missing was Jesus and Kingdom living. Without it the other stuff is meaningless. Because I could free my mind til I was purple but unless I filled my mind with Kingdom living teachings to take the place of stress which I wanted to kick out, I was not going to be able to overcome it.

So that is my advise to you, seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Then add in the training, and the rest of what you are wanting out of the relationship will fall into place.

Blessings

 

[Laurie KRB]

Hi there. I am in need of some serious help to learn to relax and let go of my stress. (I'm knotted up with major headaches I can't get rid of). I've prayed and prayed, and studied and read the bible. What worked for me a long time ago, before I was walking with the Lord, is guided imagery and meditation. Is there a CD somewhere that is Christian based? Mostly I need something that helps me to stay focused, and that 'guides' me in to letting go of stress and handing it over to the Lord. I know that I should be able to do this, as a Christian, on my own, but this is something that has worked well for me before. Does anyone have any advice, pleeeease??? Thank you so much in advance.

Hi! I have been through the struggles with anxiety and stress. Someone who really, really helped me learn to use God's word in this area is Joyce Meyer. She has one teaching called "Facing Fear and Finding Freedom" and another one called "Emotions: The Believer's Number 1 Enemy". I listened to these tapes in the car for about 3 months and they eventually started to sink in.

She is a minister and the tapes are all Bible-based teachings.

Another thing to do is have the Word so firmly in your head and heart that you immediately recognize what is NOT of God. Paul says to "cast down wrong imaginations", anything that goes against the Word.

What does the Word say?

Jesus said to many people in the gospels, "Take Courage" and "Fear Not", so when I feel myself starting to tense up I usually go through my scriptures:

"I have NOT been given a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind."
"Jesus came that I may have abundant life."
"I will not submit again to a yoke of bondage I have once put off."

After awhile, you will notice a dramatic change. I have! The Word is alive!

God has taught me so much in this area! I have a thread in the "Deeper Fellowship" forum, entitled "Fear Not!". I list many scriptures and basically teach some of what He has taught me. Here's the link if you're interested:

http://www.christianforums.com/t2035961-fear-not-take-courage-.html

May you walk in the peace and joy of God!

 

[HDoggie19]

This might sound strange, but when I'm stressed out or having a panic attack, I close my eyes and picture myself sitting in Jesus's lap and he's holding me like I'm a little child saying, "I am here, my child. Everything is okay." I immediately feel the warm glow of His presence. It's sort of like mental imagery, I guess. I works for me anyway.

 

[free4all]

Hi wheater,

There are good ideas here, and I'm not discounting any of them. I think you are right to deal with the source of the stress. I can't add anything about that to what has already been said.

But after you have done so, if you are still "knotted up", have you ever considered a professional massage? This doesn't remove the cause of the stress, but I have found that even after dealing with the source of stress, sometimes the knotted up muscles and headache remain until I deal with them physically, whether that be long periods of rest coupled with extremely hot showers, intense stretching or exercise (if the headache isn't excruciating), or on rare occasions medication, when the headache is comparable to a migraine.

I don't experience the stress headaches as much any more, since I exercise better and try to deal with the issues before they get to that point. But sometimes it still happens. I felt one coming on last week, so I made an appointment, and it helped tremendously. It removed the pain, which allowed me to focus on the issue at hand. The next day I made a decision that completely removed the source of stress from my life. And no headache.

So if I haven't lost you by recommending this, I also suggest looking for a school of massage in your area. They are significantly cheaper, and I have found the quality to be surprisingly good. I realize some people may not be open to the idea of therapeutic massage, but it has helped me tremendously.

I wish you well. I know how painful the tenseness can be.

free4all

 

[NoMoreTearsWithJesus]

i just listen to classical music, like solo piano. that works for me.

 

[janny108]

There are fragrances that promote relaxation such as lavendar, vanilla and sage .
Jan

 

[rakkoon]

What I did to destress my day was just sit in my room alone and play my favorite praise cd (maranatha praise band). I would just sit there praising God then say a prayer. I would also do this in my car on the way home or something. Use any and every opportunity to praise Him.

 

[mysparrow]

Hi there. I am in need of some serious help to learn to relax and let go of my stress. (I'm knotted up with major headaches I can't get rid of). I've prayed and prayed, and studied and read the bible. What worked for me a long time ago, before I was walking with the Lord, is guided imagery and meditation. Is there a CD somewhere that is Christian based? Mostly I need something that helps me to stay focused, and that 'guides' me in to letting go of stress and handing it over to the Lord. I know that I should be able to do this, as a Christian, on my own, but this is something that has worked well for me before. Does anyone have any advice, pleeeease??? Thank you so much in advance.

worship music , one on one time with God worshipping him for who he is .

 

[Sharky]

Worship music helps.

Just lie down on your bed and think about nothing for a while. Play some sports and excercise. I'm not sure what kind of stress you're gonig through but those things usually help me.