The Powerful Nature of Visualization

When we imagine something

we activate the same portion of the brain, the occipital lobe, that we activate in the act of seeing with the eye. 

Because seeing something in our "mind's eye" is so much like seeing with our actual vision, we can form memories based on what we visualize. I learned this in my training as a psychologist and have seen it play out countless times in my life as well as in the lives of my clients. What we retrieve as a memory can be that image we have "seen" in the mind, and this can work for or against us, as I'm sure you can understand.

Obsession is one way that visualization can harm us. If we ruminate again and again on a slight or perceived deficit in our capacity for happiness, we can sink deeper and deeper into misery or inaction. If we obsess about a person with whom we believe we would be happy, regardless of their indifference or aversion to us, we don't bring them closer, but we may bring ourselves closer to greater heartache, boundary intrusion, or legal problems for ourselves.

So it helps us to be aware of the potential negative effects of visualizing that which we do not wish to see manifest on real life, speaking of the end result. 

Now let us shift to focusing on the positive and how visualization can help us accomplish worthy goals. You need to capture images of your positive goals in order to make them reality.

A method I employ to help clients fine-tune goals and objectives is the collage. There are many ways we can make a collage illustrating  the goals we seek to achieve. The most familiar way is getting a sheet of poster board and tearing or cutting out images of things we want to do, be or acquire for ourselves. Then we glue or tape them on. Or even just place on the poster board and take a photo. Easy!

Make your own collage online
from one of many collage makers
such as Picture2Life.com

Are you geeky? Here's a collage I made from photos I took myself or found online. My "Mindfulness Collage" reminds me to meditate, both seated and walking; to listen to wisdom such as that from zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh; to get out in nature for its beauty; to show compassion for all sentient beings by not harming them; and to keep doing my creative activities. 

Here's a really easy way to set up a visual array of your goals, and it's totally low tech:

Get an inexpensive cork board from an office supply store or a yard sale. 

Get some pushpins. Select some magazines or newspapers and start flipping through the pages choosing words and images that fit your goals. Tear or cut them out. Arrange the words and images on your cork board, pin them in place, and display it where you will see it daily. If privacy is an issue, you can hang this on the inside of your closet door.

Want a really cool way of assembling those images and ideas that represent your goals? Try Pinterest. You can easily set up an

account, and it's free. Then when you're browsing your favorite websites, you can "pin" images you like to virtual "boards." 

For example, if you are trying to get back into yoga, or try it for the first time, you can pin images of people doing yoga to your board, pictures of yoga clothing you've seen, yoga accessories such as mats, mat bags, blocks and bolsters, and inspiring quotes about yoga and its benefits. Find a studio you'd like to visit for a class? Pin their website to your yoga board.

Remember, whatever you visualize imprints on your brain just as do things you see with your natural eyes. So visualizing what you wish to be or do or have will help you get there.