What your mind sees, it believes! There are many books dedicated solely to visualization and
mental imagery. You can use visualization for improving memory, restoring health, reducing
stress, increasing relaxation and motivation, improving sport performances, and more. Three main
uses of visualization we discuss here include:
Motivation. Creative visualization is a great way to see a possible future and move
yourself towards it.
Mental practice or rehearsal. Mental practice or mental rehearsal is complementary
to real practice. Mental practice can also be cost-effective and safer.
Reinforcing other techniques. Visualization is a powerful way to strengthen other
techniques, such as association and scripting.
Visualization works because certain areas of the mind cannot distinguish between what you see
with your eyes and what you see in your mind. You can manipulate your mind and body to believe
what you are visualizing is real. Want a simple example? Read the following script then close
your eyes and visualize it.
You are in a garden somewhere, with a lemon tree, a table and a knife. Relax and breathe in
the fresh country air. See through your own eyes as you walk over to the lemon tree. You pick
the biggest lemon you can find.
Bring the lemon back to the table, and then use the knife to cut it into quarters. Take one
of the quarters, and bring it up to your nose. Smell the tangy smell.
Now, take the biggest bite you possibly can out of the lemon. Chew it and taste the lemon
juice in your mouth. Squeeze your eyes shut tight. Feel the edges of your mouth sting slightly
from the acid. Do the same with the rest of the lemon.
It's likely that your mouth is salivating after you visualize this. Check! Is your mouth
watering? What this simple exercise shows is that many parts of your brain and body cannot
distinguish between what you see in your mind versus what is real. Your body reacted as if you
did bite into that lemon. Your mind can alter the state of your body.
Similarly, visualizing outcomes you want can change the way your body and mind react to the
environment around you. You see opportunities that you didn't think were there before. You start
to behave and think differently. You have a better chance of achieving that outcome.
In this section I first discuss some general visualization principles. We then look at the
techniques that support motivation, allow mental practice, and reinforce other techniques.
Outline of visualization, and other names for visualization such as mental imagery, mental
movies, eidetic thinking, mental pictures, and "seeing with the mind's eye."
Whether it's important to see images on the back of your eyelids.
How the words "visualization" and "imagery" are in some ways misleading. What other senses
can you include in visualization?
Steps for visualizing, including prepare, visualize, and finish.
The Prepare step includes good state (including positive expectancy, concentration, and
relaxation), notes to prepare, what position to take, time requirements, and how to deal with
distractions.
The Visualize step includes tips such as verbalizing steps, whether to use an internal or
external perspective, which senses to use, whether to use interference and variability, how to
visualize with compelling inevitability, and experiments with field of vision.
The Finish step includes some basic activities to do after your visualization exercise.
Further tips on visualizing include whether to keep eyes open or closed, what to do with
fleeting images, being aware of diminishing returns, what timeframes to use (eg whether to
accelerate or slow down images).
How creative visualization can bring change into your life through your imagination.
Outlines the five basic steps to creative visualization — set your goal, create a clear
idea or picture, focus on it often, give it positive feelings, and congratulate yourself when
you have achieved your goal.
How to use creative visualization for specific purposes, such as confirming goals,
changing attitudes, maintaining health, and rewriting your past.
What is creative dissonance, when does it arise, and how to work through it.
Uses of imagery in dealing with health issues. Others have used visualization for issues
such as psychological distress, chemotherapy related distress, pain control, insomnia, and
immune system enhancement.
How to rehearse an activity in the absence of physical movement.
Examples of its use in sports through other books such as "Inner Golf" or "Inner Tennis."
How mental practice or rehearsal also can be applied to other learning objectives,
especially to high cost activities such as flying.
How researchers are yet to work out why mental practice works. Some common theories are
psychoneuromuscular theory (that mental practice stimulates the same muscular pathways as does
actual practice), the cognitive learning theory (mental practice helps establish counterpart
mental nodes to physical nodes in the brain), and the symbolic learning theory (mental
practice is a coding system for new skills). Are any of these correct?
Whether mental practice is more, less or as effective as physical practice.
Why do mental practice? Is it more time and cost efficient? Can it go places where actual
practice is too dangerous or prohibitive? Uses examples from aviation (landing practice) and
driving to highlight specific points.
Principles to use when applying mental practice, such as vividness, controllability,
exactness of reference, timing, and concentration.
