The key to doing relaxation visualizations (otherwise known as guided imagry, hypnosis, self hypnosis, day dreaming, therapeutic dissociation) is trusting the "guide" and repetition.

I have been doing relaxation visualizations all my life (dissociation is just using relaxation and visualization (imagry) to mentally escape an abusive situation by daydreaming about a mental safe place)

At home I do them at night after a warm to hot bath when I am good and tired and somewhat relaxed already. I do a self made relaxation visualization of laying in bed and imagining my friends are at strategic points in my home (by windows and doors and so on) and anyone that wants to get to me has to get past them first. Including having one of my best friends and or my therapist holding and protecting me while I sleep.

When my therapist found out I do this and that I have set a goal for myself of using relaxation visualizations as a way to relax myself to where I can access my repressed memories we made some relaxation visualization tapes. Now not only do I have my own relaxation visualization but I also have the benefit of actually hearing my therapist voice helping me to relax. and being able to not only do them in therapy sessions but also practice following her into the relaxation visualizations at home too.

With relaxation visualizations (like anything else a person does when learning to do new things) the more I do them with LL and also practicing on my own at home the easier they get.

Take a cassette and tape recorder with you the next time you do then with your therapist that way you can record doing them. that way at home when you start panicing and so on all you have to do to acchieve that calmness you got during therapy is turn on the tape.

Works for me most of the time though I don't fall apart because of doing relazation visualizations. if anything I have more control of how to take care of things after doing the relaxation visualizations because my head is calm and so on so that I can take care of things BEFORE I fall apart because something in my life isn't going right and so on.
My panics are from nightmares and other PTSD issues not related to the relaxation visualization process.

You might want to talk to your therapist because this falling apart after doing a relaxation visualization should not be happening. They are meant for creating more relaxation and well being not for causing more problems so something isn't right or working in the process for you.

If this was me and I was falling apart after the sessions I would be telling LL that something isnt right and going through each step of the recording to find out what needed to be changed before doing the next relaxation visualization. For example LL and I made a recording. During the session I did not notice that during the progressive relaxation part of the induction process she had said - is your bladder and bowels relaxed? But at home when I practiced the relaxation visualization that sent me into giggles for in physical medicine relaxing of the bladder and bowels means going to the bathroom. LOL Obviously that would not work besides the physical fact of what that is, Im not going to total relaxed state of mind if I can't stop laughing. So I told LL that HAD to go when we did the next relaxation visualization session and I was going to edit that part out on the tape that I had at home.

Relaxation visualizations are only as good as what you put into them so talk with your therapist BEFORE doing it again so t hat the problem can be taken care of.

and professionals that I have had contact with that work with relaxation visualizations say ANY AND ALL harmfull effects should NEVER be happening with guided imagry. When it does happen that means something is not right and the process should not be done again until the problem has been taken care of.