Did you know that the mind processes everything we do in the form of images. When we recall a memory, it is made up of images, sounds, emotions, etc., which often elicit sensory reactions.
For example, if you think of a plump, yellow lemon in your hand, you may feel the small bumps across it, or see its vivid colour. You picture slicing it open, as the juice from inside and the oil in the peel create a slight spray. You hold the slice up to your mouth and bite it.
Your body has most likely reacted to this visualization. Your mouth may have salivated in preparation for the sour flavour of the juices on your tongue.
These physical reactions are not always caused by visual stimulation. Smell, touch, or sound may invoke one of your memories. In the same way, visiting the site of a bad or traumatic experience may initiate an anxious physiological response, such as sweating, increased heart rate, or nausea.
Your mind does not always know the difference between imagination and reality. You can use a positive and inspiring visualization to create a different reality for yourself. Guided imagery, in which a therapist assists you in creating a calming, relaxing visualization, can be especially helpful, as it gives you a technique for calming yourself. In times of stress, you can refer to the visualization to cope with anxiety and depressed feelings.
By visualizing yourself in a relaxed, happy, and even playful state, your brain releases chemicals, including serotonin, that soothe and relax you, even after the visualization is over. Just the simple act of smiling releases endorphins, nature’s painkiller, into the brain. You have your own pharmacy inside your brain, in which many of the chemicals, such as endorphins, are more powerful than man-made pharmaceuticals like morphine.
In your unconscious visualization, the things you want are already real. This belief in your mind creates a tension with the outside world, meaning that when you believe something exists internally, your mind seeks to reconcile its existence in the real world. If you visualize the ideal partner in your mind, you will act on triggers in the real world that will lead you to that person. Your actions will guide you toward the external existence of your internal reality.
Through the power of visualization, you are able to release tension, breathe deeply, release self-soothing chemicals in your brain, and become focused on whatever it is that you truly want.
