She felt the cool, dry handset as she picked it up. She focused on the shame and embarrassment. Rachel imagined this for the full twenty-five minutes, going over and over the scene and adding enriching details. She resisted any alternative scenarios until the twenty-five minutes were up. Try switching from the visual sense to another sense.
Most people imagine with visual images.
But some do better with sounds, textures, or smells. For example, John couldn't feel really anxious using visual images of being in a car wreck. Then he switched to other senses and imagined the screeching tires, the sound of metal smashing, breaking glass, and sirens. He imagined the texture of asphalt and broken glass, and the smell of leaking gasoline, blood, and smoke. These sensory images succeeded admirably and he rated his anxiety at 95 out of a 100.