Imagery plays an important role in the mental lives of many people. Scientists use imagery to picture how molecules are linked together. Fashion designers use imagery to envision how a dress will hang. Theoretical physicists use imagery to model the abstract world of subatomic particles. Businessmen use imagery to chart the growth of markets. Chess masters use imagery to plan strategy. Movers use imagery to plan how to steer a grandpiano up a winding staircase.
What exactly is a mental image? The word image comes from the Latin root word imitari which means to imitate. So a mental image is an inner imitation or representation of an object of sense. Within the private world of your imagination, the place where you experience imagery, you can hear, smell, taste, and feel, as well as see things that are not physically present. In your mind, you can picture a rose without actually holding one in your hand.
Besides portraying physical objects, mental images can also represent abstract ideas—the sense of freedom, the concept of power, the image of beauty can be viewed in your imagination.
How did you do with the visualization exercise? Was the image your hand clear and steady, or blurry and unstable? Was the picture 3-dimensional, like the real view, or a flat representation, like a television picture?
Perhaps no other mental skill varies so greatly among people as the ability to visualize. While some individuals claim to see clear 3-dimensional pictures in their mind’s eye, other people can form no image at all. Some people think almost exclusively with mental images, and others insist that the mind’s eye is just a figure of speech.
No matter how well (or how poorly) you feel you can visualize, stretching and flexing your imagination muscles is an effective way to enhance your mental creativity and versatility, and to add immediacy to your thoughts.
Cognitive psychologists usually speak of the ability to visualize in terms of two factors—vividness and controllability. Vividness— how bright, clear, and lively an image appears—and controllability how steadily and responsively an image behaves—are interrelated attributes. When you add vividness, your images are more colourful, realistic, and 3-dimensional. When you achieve controllability, your images are steadier and more precise. Let’s take a closer look at each of these qualities.
The Mental Movie
Virtually every moment, most of us experience a steady stream of pictures, sounds and sensations passing through our mind. This stream of images creates a series of mental movies—thrillers, comedies, horror, love stories—that are complete with trailers and advertisements. Because there is a strong link between mental pictures and feelings, negative images affect our moods and interfere with our attention. With deliberate visualization, however, it’s possible to alter these images and thereby swing our feelings.
Here are some techniques to apply your visualization skills to life.
Goal Visualization
Form a mental picture of yourself doing or having something that you want to have or want to do. You could picture yourself walking in a new pair of shoes, or working at a new job, or eating dinner at your favorite restaurant. In this visualization, three things are important: first, include details by engaging all of your senses; second, imagine yourself enjoying the scenario you wish for yourself, and third, picture the scene happening on a specific date. By encouraging you to focus on your objectives, this visualization helps you stir up your motivation. Start with small, easy-to-reach goals, and work up to larger, more encompassing goals.
Personal Performance
If you are going to give a presentation—in a sales meeting, in a speech or in an interview—picture a range of possible scenarios. Begin with an ideal outcome. Imagine you’re performing in top shape with things happening exactly as you want them to. Then picture a mediocre outcome, with things happening close to the ideal, but not quite. Then visualize the worst possible outcome, with you stumbling over yourself. In the process of rehearsing these scenarios, you prepare yourself for mishaps and problems. Then, once you have worked through the possibilities, focus on the ideal images, Allow yourself to perform marvelously.
Relaxation and Stress Management
Take some time to recall pleasant memories. Relax your body as fully as possible, and let your memories float freely through your mind. Touch lightly on great heartfelt memories: green valleys, close friends, early childhood experiences, your old room, your first friend, walking to school in the sun, snow or rain, waking up refreshed and looking forward to the rest of the day.
Inner Massage
Visualize a blackboard. In the upper left hand corner, watch the letters of your name appear slowly, one at a time. Then, in the upper right hand corner of the blackboard, watch the letters of the word ‘relax’ appear one at a time. Pause for a moment, and look at the words. Then, one line down, watch the word appear again, just as, slowly.
Calming the Emotions
To help let go of the inner agitation associated with a troubling situation, focus on the positive. For example, if you are angry at your boss, visualize your boss doing something you like. Recall a time when she did something you approved of. Keep looking for the positive. Then, when you start feeling good about your boss, and thinking that she is not that bad, picture the situation that made you angry, but in the light of the positive feeling. Be willing to accept your boss as she is. Though you may not approve of all of her actions, don’t feel compelled to change her or to mentally mar her. Apply this technique to domestic quarrels.
Mental Imagery Tips
Mental imagery injects freshness, vitality, and life into what would otherwise be an austere world of abstraction. Make it a habit to explore the vast landscapes and spectacles that exist within your mind.
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Train your imagination to be more responsive. Strive to make steady carbon copies of what you hear, see, smell, taste, and sense.
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Encourage your inner senses to become more vivid step beyond humdrum imagery and encourage your mind to see the colourful, the bizarre and the unexpected. Be willing to make your inner world as large as you want it to be.
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Pay attention to the everyday mental images that flow through your mind. Notice what imagery gets you down and what keeps you inspired. Be aware of your power to rescript your mental movie when you want to change it.
