Advice on improving mental imagery skill can be found at www.shpm.com/articles/sports/tennis.html.

Mental imagery is intended to train our minds and create the neural patterns in our brain to teach our muscles to do exactly what we want them to do (Porter, 17).

“Imagination is more powerful than

knowledge.”

—Albert Einstein

An Historical Perspective of

Mental Imagery and VisualizationOrigins date back to Freud and Jung in modern psychologyMost likely used for millennia by people of all culturesShamans used visualization to heal tribe members

Mental imagery involves unconscious thoughts that become conscious in the effort to heal or make whole.

Guided mental imagery is a variation wherein images are suggested by another person.

Visualization is a conscious thought process directed toward self-improvement.

Image must be idiosyncraticImage must be egosyntonicImage must have a positive aspectImage must be kinesthetic and somaticImage must be anatomically correctEmploy constancy and dialogueEmploy the healthy blueprint aspectEmploy the treatment with the image

Just as real or imaginary thoughts can trigger the stress response, relaxing thoughts can promote the relaxation response.

When imagination is used to promote relaxation, the body’s five senses are in effect deactivated or desensitized to stressful stimuli.

Tranquil natural scenes, or images that place one in a natural environment.

Behavioral changes, or images that allow one to see and feel oneself performing a different, more health-conscious behavior.

Internal body images, or images of trips inside the body to observe damaged or diseased tissue being healed or repaired.

Research into visualization also includes color and light therapy

The color blue appears to have a relaxing/healing effect.

Full spectrum lighting is known to have a healing effect too!

Why do you think many of the students could make the washer move with their mind?

What about this rabbit?

How about this rabbit?

How can we exploit this connection to improve our human potential?

Why can’t it be said that a person is either good or not good at

visual imagery?