There are all kinds of guided meditation, guided imagery, and hypnosis programs available, and their goal is to do a lot of different things. Some are designed simply to help you relax, while others try to help you change bad habits, lose weight, achieve other goals, or get smarter in some way. But there are certain elements common to all guided meditation scripts that make the difference between mediocre programs and great ones.
When writing a guided meditation script, the writing style should be appropriate to the topic. The writing should be informal so that the listener is comfortable: conversational, not stiff or stuffy. It’s helpful to use contractions – “is” instead of “is” – because that’s the way people normally speak. It also helps give sentences a rhythmic flow, enrich vocabulary without distracting, and shape phrasing so the narrator has a place to breathe.
A guided meditation usually has several parts. The beginning is like the first part of an airplane flight, when passengers are buckled up and given basic instructions. You will want to offer a few prayers to help the listener settle into their chair and feel comfortable. During that time, they would normally be adjusting the volume on their listening equipment if necessary, so they only need a little time. Suggestions for deep breathing can also be helpful at this point.
This is followed by some sort of induction process, similar to the one where the plane ascends to cruising altitude. This is where you help people get into a nice deep state of relaxation; hypnosis people call it trance. There are many ways to do this, for example using numbers, colors, or having the listener go through a metaphorical process like going down a ladder or floating on a cloud. The best approach is to make the induction fit into the main body of the story you are telling, so the example of floating on a cloud could be a good start to a visit to heaven.
The main body of the program is like the cruise part of an airplane trip. Hopefully the listener is in a deeply relaxed state at this point, ready for the main part of the journey. Depending on the objective and theme of the program, this is where the narrator will help the listener to explore, visualize some kind of transformation, receive affirmative suggestions, and seek and listen to any message from within.
Speaking of looking and listening, since people tend to process information in different ways, it is helpful to incorporate language into the script that includes the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses. That way, a visually oriented person won’t be frustrated by suggestions to hear information, for example. It is better to suggest to the listener that they receive images, messages or feelings, to keep their options open.