You Don’t Have to Believe in Mental Imagery. It Works Anyway.

I read an interesting report by Dr. Jonathan Parker titled Visualization and Mental Imagery.  It details three reasons why imagery works.

The full report is available for members, but below is the first one of the three reasons.

In my opinion this component is the most important of the three, but like anything else, for best results you should really get all the working parts.

Get my drift?

Anyway…  Imagery works because images are events to the body.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
To the body, images created in the mind can
be almost as real as actual events.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

(I hope you just had an “AHA” moment.)

(If you didn’t, read it again.)

In fact, the mind responds to imagery as if it were something REAL happening, especially when the images strongly evoke sensory memory and fantasy- that means sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feel.

Example:

Recalling the smell and feel of the grass as you dove for a fly ball … is an image.
Remembering the sound and timbre of the coach, saying he’s proud of you … is an image.
And recalling the internal bristle of energy in your body when you realize you are about to cross the finish line … is also an image.

These sensory images are the true language of the body, the only language it understands immediately and without question.  To the body, these images can be almost as real as actual events.

This is the first operating principle of imagery.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
You see, our bodies don’t discriminate between
sensory images in the mind, and reality.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Once again, the more closely you can imagine what you want to happen, the more your body will go to work in attempt to make it a reality.

Be careful what you think about, because IT REALLY CAN happen.

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