You may think that you’re not good at imagining things, or
that you’re not a “visual” person, and therefore a technique like mental
imagery just isn’t for you. But that’s not quite true.
The practice of mental imagery involves all your senses, not just sight. It’s possible to imagine sounds, smells, tastes, and touch every bit as vividly as it is to imagine sights.
Let’s do a little experiment:
If you were able to imagine any of those things – even just a little bit – then you’re capable of practicing mental imagery.
But even if you couldn’t, the fact is you’re making use of imagery all the time, whether you realize it or not.
When someone tells you about an experience they had, part of your mind is creating images of what they’re describing. That’s why we can be surprised to find that someone or some place we’ve heard a lot about doesn't turn out to be anything like what we expected – they don't match the images we’d created of them.
Whether vague or vivid, conscious or not, your mind is
creating images every moment. Each of those images activates neuronal
circuits in your brain that are associated with your past experiences of
the image. And all that brain activity generates emotions, sensations,
thoughts and memories, that are related to the image. So without necessarily being aware of it, the images you create are constantly
affecting your mind, your emotions, and in fact, every cell of your body
– for better or for worse.
So why leave something so potentially powerful in the hands of your subconscious mind or some half-conscious habit? Why not learn to use imagery consciously to generate thoughts, emotions, and bodily changes that will have a positive and constructive effect in your life?
Mental imagery can be used for a wide variety of purposes. The following are just a few:
In the realm of physical healing, mental imagery can help to:
In one study, two groups were trained over a period of six weeks to use
imagery in order to influence their levels of white blood cells (part
of the body’s immune system). What was most striking, was that each
group was able to devise specific imagery that targeted a specific type
of white blood cell – in one group it was the level of neutrophils that
changed, in the other, it was the level of lymphocytes.
With respect to emotional healing, mental imagery can help to:
In the area of skill-building, mental imagery can help to:
How can imagery have such powerful effects on the mind and body?
Interestingly enough, your brain can’t tell the difference between an experience you actually have and one that you vividly imagine. Whether you actually see the ocean or simply imagine it, the same part of your visual cortex will be activated.
Similarly, if you feel calm and deeply peaceful when you’re sitting by the ocean, your brain releases certain hormones and neurotransmitters which affect your mood and your overall physiology in a positive way. But if you just imagine sitting by the ocean, your brain releases the same chemicals with the same positive effects.
This lack of discrimination on the part of the brain can also be very advantageous when you want to improve a skill. Many studies show that when you vividly imagine practicing a skill, your subsequent performance of the skill will improve almost as much as if you had actually practiced it for the same period of time.
Imagery activates the right hemisphere of your brain, and that
gives it the capacity to integrate your thinking, feelings and
In addition, it mobilizes the emotional and motivational power of your “downstairs brain” (that is, the emotional brain and instinctive brain). This can add enthusiasm and vigor to any effort you make to change your life, greatly increasing your chances of success.
Imagery also impacts nerve cells throughout your autonomic nervous system (ANS), the part of the nervous system that helps to stabilize your energy level.
Because mental imagery involves so many parts of the brain and nervous system, exercising your imagination is a wonderful way to help integrate your brain. And as you may recall, an integrated brain is the key to well-being.
We may not be able to change what happened in the past, but
thanks to neuroplasticity – the ability of our brain to change
throughout our lives – we can certainly change the way the past affects
us in the present.
In terms of our brains, the past lives on in us by virtue of our neural circuitry – that is, through groups of neurons that have wired together and continue to fire together, recreating the memory of a particular event along with particular emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations that are associated with it. Some of the memories, emotions etc. are painful to relive, and can prevent us from our living our lives more fully.
Imagery is one very powerful way of helping to break up old neural patterns that may be limiting or debilitating. We go more into this process of “healing the past” – along with the role imagery can play in that process - in the CBT section of the site.
Imagery is also a powerful way to help create new, more positive neural patterns that will better serve our overall well-being and sense of purpose in life. Even before we actually experience a new way of responding to people or situations, we can imagine what it would be like. And since the brain interprets what we imagine as the real thing, it goes about creating the neural circuitry that will enable us to have the actual experience in the future.
We explain how you can use imagery to create a better future on the Creative Visualization page.
Imagery can be a wonderful tool for helping to change your
physical condition, change your mood, improve your skills, and even to
develop a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in your life. The more
vivid your imagery, and the more you feel the emotions that would
accompany what you imagine, the more powerful that tool becomes.
And the more focused your mind is as you practice, the more you will activate your middle prefrontal cortex (MPFC), which makes any technique you’re using more powerful. Or, to say it another way, the extent to which you “remember to breathe” – that is, center yourself at the “hub” of your wheel of awareness – the effects of your imagery will be far more powerful, not only in bringing about what you visualize, but in helping to integrate your brain and bring balance to your life.
Using imagery can be a very relaxing and enjoyable experience – almost like taking a vacation in a very pleasant virtual reality. That makes it a good place to start to get a feel for how it’s possible to make a concentrated effort, and at the same time, remain relaxed. That is, how to strike the right balance between using focused concentration and maintaining an overall sense of ease. We go into this more on the Concentration page of the site.