Once you’ve done some reading about new age or spiritual practices, you’ll run into a lot of different references to visualization and visualizing particular images. But what does that mean and why is it important?
Visualization, in it’s most basic form, is simple imagining. Just like kids do and like you did when you were a kid. What you do is form an image in your mind and hold it for just a couple moments. When you’re visualizing something, you’re going to want to imagine all the details of an image. So if you are going to imagine a blue shirt, you’re not just going to visualize the shirt, but what kind of neckline it has, what kind of sleeves, what material it’s made of, does it have tags, does it have buttons, is someone wearing it, and if they are, what kind of shapes are created by their body. What does it feel like – is it soft or rough? Is the fabric stiff? What does it smell like? You want to thoroughly imagine every single detail about the shirt that you can even think as if you were going to recreate it yourself – because that’s exactly what you’re doing – creating this entire shirt in your mind using all of your senses.
This is a skill and it’s worth practicing – the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it and the quicker things will come to you. As an exercise, you can choose several different objects in your home and, one at a time, study them closely. After a period of studying, set them down and close your eyes. Recreate that object in your mind, down to the smallest detail. When you’re done, hold the image for just a few moments and then open your eyes and check the object. How close were you? Did you recreate it completely or were there details that you missed? The more you practice, the better you’ll get at it.
Visualization is a very powerful tool to have. Studies have shown that visualizing a physical experience, such as playing a sport, when unable to actually practice it can maintain or even increase actual skill in that sport. How amazing is that? This indicates that on some level mental experiences are valid in physical reality. In addition, thoughts are created with energy and that energy travels outward to effect your environment around you.
There are a lot of different ways to use visualization and it’s a topic that we’ll be discussing quite a bit. I’m curious, though – what’s your favorite visualization?
