What is visualisation?

What is visualisation?

Visualisation is also known as Mental Imagery, or Visual Mental Rehearsal (VMR), and is a technique that has been proven to be extraordinarily successful in producing a specific outcome.

Why is it important?

Visualisation evidence suggests that our mind plays an important role in the creation of our experience, and therefore it may be possible to ‘program’ our mind and body to act in a certain way to gain positive results.

What research has been done into the subject of visualisation?

Mental Imagery research has grown significantly in the last few decades, and studies show that the brain does not know the difference between imagining something or actually doing it. Therefore, visualising positive outcomes or successful completion of an outcome enables both the brain and body to become responsive and conditioned to that particular result.

Many sportspeople and athletes have used mental imagery and visualisation to increase their success. In visualisation and mental imagery, the mind believes that the successful result has already been achieved, and thus acts accordingly. This has been especially useful when using visualisation for healing. Dr David Hamilton has documented a wealth of evidence that visualisation has been successful in improving health and well being. This has also been further confirmed by studies using hypnosis to heal.

Watch the video on mental imagery research

Outside the laboratory, there is another wealth of experiential evidence owing to the power of visualisation and mental imagery. Hundreds of self development authors, entrepreneurs and successful people have championed the power of visualisation in attaining goals and outcomes.

How is visualisation demonstrated?

Visualisation or Mental Imagery is usually demonstrated through the focused attention on various imagery, usually involving all aspects of your modalities (i.e. imagining what you would see, hear, feel, smell, etc). Visualisation effects on the body can be seen as a psychokinetic (Mind over Matter) effect.

Can you practise visualisation?

Visualisation is already practised unconsciously by everyone; it is however beginning to be harnessed by individuals who would like to direct their consciousness towards a particular outcome. The physical effects of visualisation are evident in a person’s physiology- therefore, visualising a positive outcome inadvertently has a positive effect on the biochemistry of the individual.

Discover more:

Dr David Hamilton

Cancer Research UK on the use of visualisation with cancer