It is often used along with other mind-body techniques. Unlike its cousins meditation and hypnosis, guided imagery doesn't ask you to focus your mind on a single word or image, but instead takes you on a journey through several visualizations. Like other mind-body techniques, guided imagery is based on the assumption that the mind can indeed affect the functions of the body. Exactly how this might transpire is not completely understood, but there is certainly compelling evidence that it happens. However, claims that it relieves pain, reduces anxiety, improves the effectiveness of drugs, and has psychological benefits have yet to be verified.
Further studies are underway.
One theory proposes that picturing something and actually experiencing it are equivalent as far as brain activity is concerned. Brain scans have verified this effect, and proponents suggest stimulating the brain through imagery can therefore have a direct effect on both the nervous and endocrine systems, ultimately producing changes in the immune system and other body functions. Whatever the truth of the matter, if you have cancer, you should be aware of a specialized type of guided imagery called the Simonton Method. Developed by oncologist O. Carl Simonton and his wife Stephanie Matthew-Simonton, this technique is designed to help patients who are undergoing standard treatments for cancer. While considered a useful tool by many, it has not been proven to increase survival time.