2. A Good Visualization Session is Like a Good Action Movie

What are some of the visual characteristics of a good action movie? It is bright, vivid, and full of action. The same thing is true of a good visualization session. Rich details help your brain and body respond to visualization, laying down a stronger pattern in your brain and nerve cells, and preparing you to excel in real life. This is true whether you are using visualization to augment memory or performance, or to get motivated. The key is your body’s emotional response to the movie you make in your mind. So use all of the tricks of Hollywood filmmakers. Make your mental movies compelling, colorful, and rich in detail. And focus on action. Don’t try to picture yourself being a certain way – picture yourself doing! Envision all of the muscles of your arm contracting in harmony as you swing a bat. Hear your own voice ringing out clear and true in your mind as you deliver a speech or recital. The more vivid you make the experience in your mind, the more powerful your body’s response will be. And yes, the body does respond to visualization. For instance, people who visualize exercising for 20 minutes, 3 times per week experience reducions in body fat stores and improved cardiovascular capacity as though they had really done exercise. Visualization can help your body and brain get better at just about anything. And the key is to create rich pictures full of action.

3. Fuel your Visualization Sessions with Strong Emotion

Whether you are visualizing to make a memory stick, create a mental script for a date, or practice a sport, strong emotion (in addition to action and vivid detail) makes visualization much more effective. Don’t just kiss the girl or guy at the end of the date in your mind – feel the rush as you do so in every fiber of your being. In your mental practice sessions, picture your body performing at an absolute peak. Hit home runs, score goals, and devastate defenders on the basketball court. Whatever you picture yourself doing, feel yourself doing it at the same time. Will yourself to live in the emotional reality of the experience. Emotion makes the experience of visualization more real to your brain. The more real the experience is to your brain, the more powerful the effect on both brain and body.