Visualization is a very important part of life. Whether you are taking your sword(stick) to go into imaginary combat, or using autohypnosis to help get to sleep, we all do it and most don’t even realize what they are doing. If you’ve ever listened to self help tapes(ugh I’m dating myself) one of the most common things said would be “imagine a white light enveloping your being, releasing all the days tension.” Hold the phone… Imagine? I love that word, limitless possibilities all in the convenient packaging of your head. Visualization is giving mental images to help relieve stress or any other number of nasty emotion, even helping positive emotion.
A thing I hear quite often is “a white light!? That’s bullshit!” The funny thing about the imagination is that you can visualize whatever you want. So if you think the white light is lame and slaying orcs and dragons is more your speed, do whatever brings you peace. It is your own mind after all, as such it is to limit yourself to visualizing the way another says to. Make visualization a personal thing. It doesn’t even have to be the same deal everyday. I have dozens of visualizations for different scenarios. The more personal it is to you, the more power you can gain from it.
Now onto the fun stuff. Visualization in everyday life. Aka “living the dream”
Have you ever visualized making the perfect shot, putting a project together perfectly, whatever what have you?
In essence you are training yourself for that moment when you take a visualization and turn it into reality. Other ideas that work similar but on the opposite side to this are “self fulfilling prophecy and expecting the worst.”
These you are most likely more familiar with. Preparing for possible failure is natural and healthy, but when it becomes the focal point of visualization, it can increase the possible margin of error for said activity exponentially. So keep a positive head for your visualization, you’ll see a difference in your life.
Let’s look at the more “mystical” aspect of visualization. Most great ideas come from visualization to some degree. Divine inspiration is one example. An idea can only have as much power as you give it. Every moment you spend on a thought is effectively making it “grow”. Belief and faith become very important part of visualization to many. In meditation or reiki the idea that unseen energy is literally healing you can actually be potent. Not to all though, why is that?
My guess is it comes down to faith. Let me try to explain it like this. Psychosomatic or placebo effect. Psychosomatic can be described by having the effects of something that isn’t actually wrong or happening. Like a bad knee with no actual injury. Placebo is getting the benefits of something despite it not having any actual documented truth. Sugar pills providing the benefits of painkillers. Snake oil… In essence it’s mind over matter. You believe this “thing” will help you and therefore it does. So what does it matter if it’s gods handiwork, cosmic radiation or all in your head. If it works is all a matter of faith.
Visualize yourself being happy daily and you can convince yourself that you are. Mind over matter.
A life meant to live 