"Imagine that the wall in front of you is like a movie screen. Right now, it's blank. It's not showing anything. But you can use that screen to project images on.
"Imagine the images in your mind's eye, being projected onto that blank screen as you stare at it. It's very easy to do. You have a very vivid imagination. You can easily imagine vivid mental images, taking place on the 'screen' of the wall in front of you.
"Imagine, for example, a pinwheel. You remember pinwheels from those long, lazy summer days when you were a child. You can remember the way they spun in the soft, warm summer breeze.
"Imagine that pinwheel spinning now. It's shining in the sun, bright sparkly silver, and it's turning so gently in the breeze. Slow, gentle rotations. The light catches each spoke of the wheel, one by one, refracting it into all sorts of beautiful colors.
"Imagine seeing those colors flash into your eyes, the rainbow shades of red and orange...fading to yellow...spinning into vivid green...into calming, relaxing blue...down into soft indigo...and down further into deep, soothing violet...
"Imagine those flashes of soft, violet light playing over your eyes, each flash just a little bit bright--not painful, but your eyes just want to close a little every time the light flashes over them. The breeze is slowing down now, the flashes slowing down, everything just slow and warm and peaceful.
"Imagine that light now, that soothing, soft, relaxing violet light just shining straight into your eyes. The wind has stopped, and everything is so still and calm, and the light shines right into your eyes, dazzling you with its vivid, beautiful brightness. It's pretty, not painful, but it's so bright it makes you just a little dizzy, and you almost want to close them, but the light is so very, very pretty and soothing that you decide to keep them open a little bit longer.
"Imagine that heavy, warm pressure on your eyelids as you gaze into the light, concentrating on it, fixating on it, using the light to keep your eyes open, even as they want to close. You can feel that pressure, getting stronger, but you're going to keep your eyes open a little longer. It's hard to keep them open now. But the light is so pretty. You just want to look at it a little bit longer.
"Imagine that you're pulling all the strength out of the rest of your body now, and using that strength to help keep those drowsy, heavy, sleepy eyes open. You can feel your legs go totally limp, loose, and heavy, from the tips of your toes all the way up to your hips. You can feel your arms relax completely, feeling so weak, and helpless, and comfortable. You can feel your breathing slow, relaxing completely, feel your neck and shoulders loosen, all the tension running out of them, feeling all that strength go to keeping your eyelids open just a few seconds longer.
"Imagine those eyelids struggling now, under unbelievable weight. Your eyelids are fluttering now, and it's so hard to keep them open, so hard, so very hard, so very very hard, and any second now, it's going to be impossible. Any second now. Any second now. Any second...NOW.
"Imagine your eyes closing, and it's such a relief. All that struggle, all that effort is done now, and you can really relax, completely and totally. It's like letting go of a heavy weight. You can just lie there, calm and still and relaxed, and not have to worry about the thoughts coming and going in your head. Everything feels so good like this, so very very deeply relaxed.
"Imagine that relaxation taking the form of slow waves of warm water, lapping at your body. Each wave washes a little deeper, relaxing you a little bit more. You can still feel the warmth of that summer day, the warm stillness, and now you feel the waves of relaxation washing into you.
"Imagine yourself on a warm summer beach. You can feel the cool sand underneath you, and the warm sun shining down on you, and the waves washing up, the water just the right temperature, each wave relaxing you more and more, each wave sending you deeper and deeper into relaxation. You're all alone on that beach, and it feels so good, so soothing, so calming, so relaxing, so peaceful.