Welcome to the adventure
Visualization
This information supplements the overview of visualization provided on the CD.
Historically, visualization, the activity of using the mind to see or "practice" an outcome, has been an accepted healing tool in many cultures and religions. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed that strong mental images engage the heart and trigger it to bring about physical healing. These practitioners recognized the strong bond between the mind and body and repeatedly saw evidence of the powerful impact the emotions had on overall health and well-being.
The ancients also believed that the mind is so powerful that strong mental images of disease can raise fears and anxieties that might ultimately produce symptoms of disease. They knew that the reverse was also true. Therefore, through visualization, they used positive mental images to induce states of health in patients prone to fearful imaginings. Aristotle and Hippocrates were the more noteworthy proponents of these concepts and among the early practitioners of visualization.
In more recent times, the Navajo Native Americans continue to practice a complex form of imagery that brings their bodies back to balance and, therefore, back to health. Today's Western doctors are discovering that visualization can be helpful in relieving pain and in speeding healing for medical conditions ranging from depression to asthma. Visualization often mitigates symptoms of the many maladies that doctors regularly treat with medication.
Finally, consider how visualization is applied to athletes, and look at the regimen of high performers in any major sport. In all likelihood, visualization is an important factor in their success, a tool they use for relaxation during high-stakes competition and for continuously improving personal bests. Whether breaking a long-standing Olympic record, sinking an impossible putt, significantly improving an RBI average, or handily winning a dance competition, athletes have learned the secret of visualization.
Visualization is not a new tool, though it did have a resurgence in the 1980s and is now considered to be mainstream. Why not harness the power of your imagination, your mind, and your emotions? Why not actively engage in visualization? It can change your life.
Historically, visualization, the activity of using the mind to see or "practice" an outcome, has been an accepted healing tool in many cultures and religions. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed that strong mental images engage the heart and trigger it to bring about physical healing. These practitioners recognized the strong bond between the mind and body and repeatedly saw evidence of the powerful impact the emotions had on overall health and well-being.The ancients also believed that the mind is so powerful that strong mental images of disease can raise fears and anxieties that might ultimately produce symptoms of disease. They knew that the reverse was also true. Therefore, through visualization, they used positive mental images to induce states of health in patients prone to fearful imaginings. Aristotle and Hippocrates were the more noteworthy proponents of these concepts and among the early practitioners of visualization.In more recent times, the Navajo Native Americans continue to practice a complex form of imagery that brings their bodies back to balance and, therefore, back to health. Today's Western doctors are discovering that visualization can be helpful in relieving pain and in speeding healing for medical conditions ranging from depression to asthma. Visualization often mitigates symptoms of the many maladies that doctors regularly treat with medication.
Finally, consider how visualization is applied to athletes, and look at the regimen of high performers in any major sport. In all likelihood, visualization is an important factor in their success, a tool they use for relaxation during high-stakes competition and for continuously improving personal bests. Whether breaking a long-standing Olympic record, sinking an impossible putt, significantly improving an RBI average, or handily winning a dance competition, athletes have learned the secret of visualization.
Visualization is not a new tool, though it did have a resurgence in the 1980s and is now considered to be mainstream. Why not harness the power of your imagination, your mind, and your emotions? Why not actively engage in visualization? It can change your life.