Oleg I. Reznik, M.D.   Board Certified Family Physician

Assistant Professor at OHSU  Department of Family Medicine

Instructions for the use of Mental Imagery Exercises

These mental exercises are done while sitting up straight, with arms and legs uncrossed, hands resting on the lap or on arm-rests of the chair (pharaoh’s posture). The back is straight, but not excessively tense.

Once this posture is assumed, start breathing regularly. Begin by a long slow exhalation through the mouth followed by a normal (not deep) inhalation through the nose. The cycle starts with an exhalation. Inhaling, especially deep inhalations excite the mind, whereas exhaling relaxes it.

Almost all exercises begin with closing one’s eyes and breathing out three times slowly. This means that once you close your eyes, you make a long slow exhalation followed by a normal inhalation, then another long slow exhalation followed by a normal inhalation, then a third long slow exhalation followed by an inhalation. Then you begin the mental exercise (imagine what the instructions call for) while breathing naturally, without making any effort or paying special attention to the breathing.

For some of the longer exercises, you may be directed to breathe one time slowly in the middle of the exercise. You do that simply by making a long slow exhalation through your mouth, but without taking a deep breath first (make this one long slow exhalation after a normal inhalation).

All exercises end with breathing out one time slowly, again in the way described above, and then opening one’s eyes.

Most exercises are done three times a day (before meals) for a cycle of seven days, twenty one days, or three cycles of twenty one days with seven day breaks in between (twenty one days on seven days off, another twenty one days on and seven days off, then the third cycle of twenty one days and stop). Other frequencies and durations may be appropriate for certain problems.

While the mental exercise is done, avoid discussing it with friends and family. You can discuss it once you’ve completed the planned cycle of exercises. Mental imagery exercises are designed for experiential learning and expansion of one’s consciousness. A premature discussion (even with the most well-meaning person) often results in drawing conclusions about the exercise. Once conclusions are made, they block the way toward further progress.

You can see some of the examples of mental imagery exercises on Dr. Epstein’s web site.

To hear three mental imagery exercises led by one of the practitioners of this work in Jerusalem, Israel, click here or go to

 http://www.geocities.com/colette_aboulker_muscat/htm/tirza.htm.