Creating mental pictures of desired outcomes in order to achieve them is an idea that has been around for a long time. More recently, it is a practice made popular in the literature relating to the Law of Attraction, most notably The Secret.
In sport and athletics, the activity of visualizing is largely considered an integral aspect of competitive training. Developments in brain scanning technology are now revealing interesting information about the effect of visualization on the brain.
The Brain Cannot Tell The Difference Between a Real and an Imagined Action
According to Lynne McTaggart in her book The Intention Experiment, electromyography (EMG) has shown that the brain does not differentiate between the thought of an action and a real action. In an experiment with a group of skiers, EMG discovered that when they mentally rehearsed their downhill runs, the electrical impulses sent to the muscles were the same as when physically engaged in the runs.
It appears that just as when really performing an activity certain neural pathways are stimulated and chemicals produced, so when mentally imagining that same activity, the same physiological changes are present. Whether the activity is carried out in reality or is imagined, it appears that the neural pathways are strengthened.
Visualization and Brain Activation
According to Dr. Srinivasan Pillay, a psychiatrist, brain researcher and coach, the impact of visualization on brain activation has been well-demonstrated in cases of stroke. During a stroke, because of the blood clot in an artery in the brain, blood cannot reach the area of brain that the artery once fed with oxygen and nutrients, and the tissue dies. Tissue death spreads around the area that no longer receives blood. If, however, the patient imagines moving the affected limb or limbs, brain blood flow to the affected area increases and tissue death is minimised.
Pillay also emphasizes the importance of visualizing in the first person in order to reap the benefits. It is this which creates the experience of being in the self, thereby stimulating the neural pathways. The champion boxer Muhammed Ali was known to prepare for his fights by mentally rehearsing them in minute detail as if he were really in the ring. In The Intention Experiment, Lynne Mc Taggart says that when preparing for a fight with Joe Frazier, he would imagine "his right fist at the moment of impact on Frazier's left eye."
Using Visualization for Self-Help
In his article Why Does Visualization Not Work For You?, Dr. Pillay gives further guidelines on how human neurology supports the practice of visualization. It appears there is a part of the brain responsible for creating a navigation plan for action. This part of the brain is the posterior parietal cortex.
The posterior parietal cortex also plays a role in voluntary movement. By processing information from the skin, the internal organs and the vision, it creates an internal model of the movement to be made before it is actually made.
Pillay states that by giving the posterior parietal cortex too much information at once through visualization, it becomes overloaded. He suggests therefore that whatever one is visualizing may need to be broken down into stages so that the posterior parietal cortex can digest the information.
Getting The Most Out of Visualization
In order to make visualization practice as beneficial as possible, it appears that honouring the neurology behind it is worth bearing in mind. This means getting to the point of being able to visualize oneself as if actually engaged in the desired activity in order to develop the neurological pathways. Breaking visualizations down into stages if necessary will ensure that the part of the brain that assists in planning a route to achievement, will not be overwhelmed with too much data.
Further Reading and Sources:
McTaggart, Lynne. The Intention Experiment. Harper Element, London, 2007.
Pillay, Srinivasan. The Science of Visualization: Maximising Your Brain's Potential During The Recession.
Pillay, Srinivasan. Why Does Visualization Not Work For You?
Catherine Chadwick - I have been a Clinical Hypnotherapist for more than 8 years now and practise in London, UK (www.londonhypnosis.co.uk). I trained at one of ...
