Mind Power and Creative Visualization

Guided Imagery  or creative visualization as it is often called is very powerful. It can change things and this page sets out to prove this to you!

Creative visualization is a method of imagining something creatively.  Because the brain can't distinguish the imagined scene that you present to it in your thoughts from a real occurrence, it tends to act on the picture it receives from you as if it were reality. It is easy to dismiss as fanciful new age stuff but in fact there is good science behind it. To give you a better idea of the process here is an example from a scientific study.

How The Brain Can Be Deceived Into Stopping Pain

There is a nasty syndrome, about which you have probably heard, called phantom limb pain. It affects many people who have had a limb amputated. The limb has gone, but the sufferer still feels it, feels pain and discomfort that cannot be eased because the limb has gone.

In an interesting study with some individuals who had had an arm amputated and then suffered phantom pain, Dr.V.S. Ramachandran, director of Neuroscience at the University of San Diego, California worked out a way to fool their brains into thinking the limb was healthy. He placed mirrors in such a way as to reflect the remaining arm as if it were the missing limb.  A form of creative visualization.

The patient seeing the reflection of the good arm, of course knew full well that it was not his amputated limb magically re-attached. But his brain was fooled by seeing a healthy arm. It perceived that the lost limb was whole again, and the pain disappeared.

This is one of many such studies which are evidence that our unconscious mind is easily fooled. The only contact your brain with the world is what it sees and hears.  You can use this to trick it into interpreting something in a new way.
 

How Thinking Something Can Make It Happen

Do you think that a woman could enlarge her breasts just by visualizing them growing? In a fascinating controlled study involving 35 women aged 19 to 54, published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis in 1977, Dr. R.D. Willard reported that 35 women aged between 19 and 54 did just that. 

The height, diameter and circumference of the women's breasts were carefully measured by an independent observer prior to treatment. For 12 weeks thereafter the women attended weekly hypnosis sessions in which they were asked to visualize warm water flowing over their breasts; a heat lamp warming their breasts and to feel their breasts pulsating. The sessions were recorded and the women listened to the tapes at home each day.

At the end of the 12 week creative visualization trial 84% of the women were found to have some breast enlargement, 46% of them needed a larger bra size. The average increase in breast circumference was over 1.3 of an inch, over 1 inch horizontally and 2/3 of an inch vertically. The increase did not correlate with weight change or menstrual cycle.

Four other studies have also used guided imagery to produce this effect. 

The Power Of Your Mind

This one will surely convince you if you still have any doubts about whether creative visualization is worth bothering with!

The psychologist, Alan Richardson, conducted an experiment to assess the power of creative visualization. He divided his subjects, who were student basketball shooters, into three groups. The shooting ability of each player was assessed before they began.

The first group were told to practice their shooting for 30 minutes every day for one month. The second group were told to do no practice at all for one month, and the third group were told to do no practice at all and to stay out of the gym. This last group were instructed to spend 30 minutes each day for a month visualizing themselves shooting expertly.

At the end of the month their shooting ability was re-assessed.

• The group who had practiced each day had improved by 24%.
• The group who had had a month off remained the same as at the start.
• The third group, who had visualized their shooting practice but never been near the gym had improved 24%, the same amount as those who actually played every day!

Isn’t that astonishing? Think how well they would perform if they practiced their sport and also practiced creative visualization! We can use this power in all our endeavors, and our endeavor right now is to ease our pain is ii not?

Using Guided Imagery For Chronic Pain  

Are you convinced yet that the world you see and the world you imagine are equally real to your mind?

Do you want to give guided imagery/creative visualization a try to relieve your pain? Its a free treatment you can do as often as you like without disturbing anyone at all. No one will think you are crazy because no-one will notice you doing it. You know, if this wasn't free we would all be lining up for it! Contd...

Resources for Creative Visualization

		Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life by Shakti Gawain The Creative Visualization Workbook: Second Edition  "Gawain's self-help title has sold more than three million copies in English and another three million in the more than 30 languages into which it has been translated. According to the publisher, this revised anniversary edition contains additional "meditations, exercises, and techniques that can become part of your everyday routine." The author asserts that people can achieve an ideal existence simply through mental visualization." Library Journal
		Creative Visualization Meditations by Shakti Gawain Customer review: "I love this tape! I never thought I could visualize. One doesn't need to picture things clearly in order to benefit form this recording. I believe that this tape was designed for those who have difficulty meditating (or don't have the time); but who would also enjoy the rewards of meditation--relaxation, calm, and an overall positive outlook. What I like most about this tape is that the exercises are varied. They range from visualizing a goal to affirmations. Gwain has a nice voice that is also a plus. I bought this tape on a whim , but I can honestly say that it helps bring hope and sense of calm to my everyday life. It's great!"
		Self Healing With Guided Imagery Andrew Weil, M.D., and fellow-physician Martin Rossman introduce you to the far-reaching effects of imagery and visualization on physical, mental, and emotional health. Dr. Weil introduces the topic, shares his own experience with visualization, and reveals the results of current research on how the practice of imagery directly influences one's well-being. Dr. Rossman guides listeners through a complete series of practical exercises that provide an immediate experience of the healing benefits of visualization.