Quick Overview: Yes. The National Institute of Mental Health states that psychotherapy can include mindfulness and relaxation techniques, including meditation. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health explains that some meditation practices maintain focus on a sensation, including a visual image. These statements support the possibility of meditation in therapy and of visual-image focus within some meditation practices. They do not establish what any particular therapist or therapy appointment will include, whether a visual image will be used, or what the experience will be like for a particular person.
What Meditation in Therapy Can Mean
The National Institute of Mental Health describes psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, as a variety of treatments intended to help a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Its overview states that psychotherapy may include mindfulness and relaxation techniques, such as meditation and breathing exercises.
This is a broad description of elements that psychotherapy can include. It does not mean that meditation is part of every psychotherapy approach, every service, or every appointment. It also does not identify which meditation practices a particular therapist uses.
The same source notes that therapists may use one primary approach or incorporate elements from multiple approaches, depending on their training, the disorder being treated, and the needs of the person receiving treatment. General information about psychotherapy therefore cannot determine the contents of a particular therapy experience.
Meditation is a broad category of practices
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health uses the term meditation for a variety of practices focused on mind and body integration and used to calm the mind and enhance overall well-being. The organization notes that many meditative techniques began in Eastern traditions.
Because meditation refers to a variety of practices, the word alone does not specify what would happen in therapy. It does not identify an image, a sequence of steps, a duration, or an expected result. When meditation is mentioned in a therapy context, asking what the term means in that approach can distinguish a general category from a specific proposed practice.
Mindfulness is one related practice
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes mindfulness as maintaining attention or awareness on the present moment without making judgments. It also notes that some programs combine meditation or mindfulness with other activities. For example, the organization describes mindfulness-based stress reduction as including mindful meditation, discussion sessions, and other strategies related to stressful experiences.
The National Institute of Mental Health lists mindfulness and relaxation techniques among possible elements of psychotherapy. That does not establish that every mindfulness practice is psychotherapy or that every psychotherapy approach includes mindfulness.
What a Visual Image Focus Means
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health explains that some types of meditation involve maintaining mental focus on a particular sensation. Examples it gives include breathing, a sound, a visual image, or a mantra, which it defines as a repeated word or phrase.
A visual image can be an object of attention
Within that description, a visual image meditation is a meditation practice in which a visual image is the focus of mental attention. This is a limited definition drawn from the organization’s explanation. It does not identify a particular image or prescribe how the practice should be conducted.
The available information also does not establish that visual-image meditation is necessary, preferable, or appropriate in any particular therapy setting. It does not predict whether a person will find a visual focus useful, difficult, neutral, or relevant to their reasons for seeking therapy.
General information has clear limits
The research notes state that the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health do not determine personal fit or outcomes for an individual reader. The notes support two central points: psychotherapy can include meditation, and some meditation practices can focus on a visual image.
They do not answer whether a particular therapist offers meditation, whether meditation would be discussed in individual therapy, or whether a visual-image focus would be part of a particular appointment. Those are details to clarify directly with a therapist or during a consultation.
Reflection Questions for the Topic
The questions below are not a measure of readiness or a way to determine what therapy should include. They are prompts for identifying what information remains unclear.
| Reflection question | What the available information can clarify |
|---|---|
| What do I mean when I use the word “meditation”? | Meditation refers to a variety of practices focused on mind and body integration. |
| Am I asking about mindfulness, meditation, or both? | Mindfulness involves present-moment attention or awareness without making judgments. |
| Is a visual image the part of the topic I want to understand? | A visual image is one example of a possible focus in some meditation practices. |
| What do I want to know about a therapist’s approach? | Psychotherapy may include mindfulness and relaxation techniques, but general information does not identify a particular therapist’s approach. |
| What would help me consider fit in a consultation? | Rooted Integrative Therapy describes a consultation call as an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit. |
Questions to Bring to a Consultation
- When you refer to meditation in therapy, what does that mean in your approach?
- Do you discuss mindfulness or meditation in individual therapy?
- Is a visual image one type of meditation focus you may discuss?
- What can a consultation clarify about your approach and whether it may fit what I am seeking?
- What are the next steps for requesting an appointment?
Practice Note: Rooted Integrative Therapy lists individual therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, and therapy intensives. Its FAQs describe scheduling a consultation call as the first step, with an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit.
Alina Hovsoyan, LCSW, is listed by Rooted Integrative Therapy. The practice offers in-person therapy near Orem and Provo, with virtual therapy across Utah. The Connect page invites inquiries and appointment requests through its contact details or form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can psychotherapy include meditation?
Yes. The National Institute of Mental Health states that psychotherapy can include mindfulness and relaxation techniques, including meditation. This does not mean that every psychotherapy approach includes meditation.
Can meditation focus on a visual image?
Yes. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that some meditation practices maintain focus on a sensation, including a visual image.
Is visual image meditation the same as mindfulness?
The sources describe them as related but distinct terms. Some meditation practices use a visual image as a focus, while mindfulness involves present-moment attention or awareness without making judgments.
Will therapy at a particular practice include meditation?
The available sources do not answer that question for a specific practice or appointment. Rooted Integrative Therapy’s consultation call is described as an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit.
Sources and Further Reading
Sources used for this article:
- National Institute of Mental Health: Psychotherapies
- nccih.nih.gov: Meditation And Mindfulness Effectiveness And Safety
A Grounded Next Step
If you want to learn whether meditation in therapy, mindfulness practice, or visual image meditation is part of a particular approach, a consultation can be a place to ask direct questions. Rooted Integrative Therapy invites inquiries and appointment requests through its Connect page.
Please do not include urgent or highly sensitive clinical information in a general inquiry.
This article is for general education only. It is not a diagnosis, treatment plan, or substitute for individualized mental-health care. A qualified mental-health professional can help you consider what fits your circumstances.