Visualization Vacation

Dear Ones,

Visualization practices can help us transport our minds (and our senses!) to the places we wish we could be, and the things we wish we could be doing, when we are limited in our ability to physically access those places or activities. This felt particularly important during COVID-19 lockdowns, but it have benefits beyond literal isolation!  According to this article,  

“Visualization activates the same neural networks that actual task performance does, which can strengthen the connection between brain and body,” explains neuroscientist Stephen Kosslyn, PhD, author of Top Brain, Bottom Brain… “There’s no question that this mental processing results in real-life improvement,” adds Kosslyn. 

Take the example of an athlete who has suffered an injury and is feeling the physical and mental effects of moving less. According to the science, visualizing yourself doing the activity you wish you could be doing may actually have powerful mental/emotional and physical effects, including some of the same benefits of physically engaging in those activities.  

Visualization is also powerful as a means of attuning our nervous systems to stress-reducing experiences through sensory imagination, and using the power of our mind to soothe our body. If you are someone who would choose the beach or a mountain for your ultimate relaxation space, taking yourself there through visualization can induce the same relaxation response in the body as if you were there. This is a strategy called Guided Imagery. As you visualize the scene or activity you want to connect with, try to engage all of your senses in the visualization experience: what do you see , hear, feel, smell, taste there? How does your body feel as your mind visualizes this sensory experience? 

There are also visualization practices that can be used to increase positive energy and manifest health, healing or other goals, based on Eastern spiritual teachings and healing arts as well as neuroscience that connect the power of the mind to what happens in the body and the world. Similar to affirmations and positive thinking, visualizing what we want/need can increase our overall wellbeing by forging new (read: less stressful, more supportive) pathways in the brain. (Note: Insight Timer and YouTube, both of which are free, have lots of guided visualizations to try.) 

So, wherever you are, you can harness the power of visualization to connect with feelings of peace, relaxation, movement, motivation or manifesting your values and goals – and take yourself all the way there in your mind, visualizing not just the physical scenery or activity but all of the senses as they engage with it. See what happens in your mind and body if you take a  “visualization vacation” each day – maybe just when you need it, or maybe as part of a new routine!

Peace, 

Glynn