The power of visualization is an extremely powerful technique that uses the imagination to create particular states of mind.  Visual Meditation is becoming increasingly popular and can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as improving the concentration of the mind, increasing self confidence and problem solving.  It can even be used for healing or for helping to achieve meditation enlightenment.

How It Works

Visualization meditation goes far beyond the imagination. Although it uses the imagination to create mental images, it also involves the senses, which include smell, touch, hearing, taste and emotions. Some visualizations can even manifest themselves on the physical level.

For example, try to remember a situation that you found particularly frightening. It could be terrifying amusement ride or a walk down a dark alley. If you cannot remember one, what about a particular phobia? If you are frightened of spiders, image one jumping onto your hand or into your hair. If you are afraid of heights, image jumping out of an airplane.

If you visualize this clearly enough, to recall that past experience in detail, or perhaps feel the spider moving in your hair, you will find that your body responds to this stress and you will notice some physical reactions taking place. You maybe tensing up and your pulse will be quicker. You might also find that your breathing has increased. If the stress is intense you might even begin sweating or shivering.

The reason your body is responding in this way is that our bodies do not know the difference between things we visualize and what reality is. If the situation you are visualizing is stressful enough, it will trigger the body’s “Fight or Flight” mechanism. When this mechanism is activated adrenaline is pumped through our body and our breathing and metabolism speeds up and an anti-inflammatory drug called cortisol are released. If you then run, jump or skip to escape the danger, this physical action released the stress and your body relaxes and returns to normal.

Benefits and Power of Visualization

The good news about this is that you can use visualization to achieve beneficial effects. For instance, when we daydream about something that makes us happy, the brain produces endorphins and other pleasure giving chemicals and our bodies experience the physical sensations of joy. We can use visualization to achieve the same effects. What if we have a fear of public speaking, we can easily use visualization to help ourselves over this fear. Simply visualize yourself in front of an audience speaking confidently and clearly. Image the audience is smiling and hanging onto every word you say. You are enjoying yourself and feeling very calm and comfortable. At the end of your speech the audience begins to applaud enthusiastically. If you keep visualizing this situation in the same positive way, day after day, the right side of the brain will come to associate the thought of public speaking with pleasure and you will begin to discover the fear will disappear.

Try a visualization exercise where your fear becomes very prevalent just by thinking about a specific situation. Practice this technique described above and discover over time, the fear will subside and you will before more confident and secure with who you are.

Make Visualization Healing Work For You

The main thing to keep in mind with visualization techniques is that you need visualize it as clearly and in as much detail as possible. It must be done repetitively in order to reinforce the message you are giving to the right side of the brain. Visualization Meditation is not just all in the mind. Although it starts in the mind, it can have profound physical effects mentally and physically.