Trouble visualizing in pictures? Don’t worry! E114
October 10, 2023
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcast | Goodpods
Quite a few of my students tell me that they struggle with visualizing their desired future. They struggle to create the right pictures in their imagination that align with their vision. So I thought that this might apply as well to you. So I collected all of my tips and advice on this topic which will leave you able to visualize without pictures.
RATHER WATCH THAN LISTEN/READ? CLICK PLAY!
If you have trouble visualizing pictures, then you are not alone. Lots of people struggle with it for very good reasons which I’m going to share with you today.
The good news is that visualizing does not only come in pictures. I know, I know. The word visualization implies that you see something visually. But the purpose of visualization, you can actually use other senses and techniques that are more aligned and easier for you.
Why and when to use visualization
And if you are asking yourself: Why and when am I supposed to visualise? Let me cover this briefly. I’m referring to visualization when it comes to meditation and manifestation. If you have followed this podcast for a while now, I talk regularly about the power of mental rehearsal as part of your meditation or as part of changing your life.
We humans have a big enough frontal lobe as part of our brain that allows us to imagine. With that imagination, we can create a new reality or a new self. We can picture how a situation is different or how we are living a different life. And that rehearsing of another reality allows our brains, bodies and personalities to change.
Professional athletes use this technique as part of their daily training. They imagine in their minds how they are running their race perfectly or how to go through their gymnastics routine without missing a step. And you can use this technique to change things, situations and circumstances in your life.
Don’t give up on visualization
Now coming back to the visualization part of that mental rehearsal. You may struggle with creating pictures or images. And the reason for that is not, that you are doing something wrong.
And it doesn’t mean that you cannot use visualization at all. But that is a common mistake people then make. They assume that it just doesn’t work for them because they cannot bring up the pictures to mentally rehearse a new future. So they give up. They stop using the technique altogether. And it does not help that most teachers or experts only tell you to bring up images, so you assume that this is the only way. Make sense, right?
But it’s not. There are other ways to visualize yourself a new future and a new you. I will share with you now the common challenges or misconceptions you can have about visualization and what to do so you can leverage this powerful tool going forward.
Misconception #1 – You have to come up with something yourself
Students have shared with me before that they struggle with imagining the future that they desire. And that makes sense. You have not experienced it, so there is no record in your brain that you can tap into to bring up an image. But the good news is that you don’t have to create it all by yourself. You can use tools to help you!
The first technique you can use is to bring up a memory that is similar to the one that you’re trying to imagine. And when you have a memory, go ahead and change small aspects of it. For example, you want to become the head of department in a big company. And you struggle with imagining this company because you don’t know yet which one it’s going to be.
Example
Think back to the office space of a big company. Either you worked or still work for one or you visited one before. Just use the office space without focusing on the company name or brand. And then picture yourself being the head of the department in that space. Where is your office? Where would you hold your leadership team meetings? Imagine the boss of the company visiting you at your desk.
Sometimes it’s small details that trick us into thinking that we are bad at visualizing or that we do it wrong. So use what you have seen or experienced before and make small changes so you can create a version that works for you.
The other tools to use are TV shows and videos. Use the images of movies or video clips to create the reality of your dreams in your head. If you want to visualize yourself living in a mansion, but you have never been in one before, then watch TV programs or videos on YouTube with mansions and use those images to build your new life in your mind.
Use TV shows or videos to help your imagination
I looooove to watch real estate videos on YouTube of Million Dollar Houses. It helps me to normalize living in one of these houses so my subconscious mind sees it as a given instead of unobtainable. It gives me a chance to get clearer about what I like and what I don’t like. If I click on a video and in the first 30 seconds I realize that this is not a house I would want to live in, I stop the video. I only watch videos of houses that align with my vision, my preferences and my requirements.
If you want to, you can even take this to another level and go to viewings in dream houses, or test drive the car that you want to manifest. You can go for walks in the area of your town where you desire to live. Once you experienced these places or objects you can use them for your mental rehearsal – even if you still want to change a few aspects. It helps you create the images for your visualization.
Misconception #2 – Seeing words instead of pictures is doing it wrong
If someone asks you to imagine a boat and you see the word boat, it means you rather imagine words than pictures. And that’s fine. It just means that you prefer to use the left side of your brain instead of the right side of your brain.
Left-brain-dominated people tend to think more in words; right-brained people tend to think more in images. It’s only a preference and there is nothing wrong with you, if you struggle creating images during your visualization.
In your case, you want to embrace the words that you create as your imagination and as your visualization tool. To manifest you can use a word exactly like you use a picture. If you want to manifest your dream car, instead of imagining the car as a picture, you focus on the description of the car like a Ferrari or a Porsche.
You are just using a different way to align your energy to the desired future. The result is the same. So never worry again that you cannot create images and rather focus all your power on those words in your mind.
Misconception #3 – Your sense of vision is the only one to visualize with
Not true! About half of all humans have sight or vision as their dominant sense. So from all the senses that we have: sight, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling, most people use vision as their dominant sense to understand the world and to visualize. But it’s just one of your senses.
The second most dominant sense is hearing. In that case, you use voices and sounds as part of your visualization. If you visualise your dream job, imagine the kind of conversations you have. If you visualize your dream car, then imagine the sounds it makes. And if you visualize your dream relationship, then imagine the loving words that your dream partner says to you.
All of our 5 senses are usable during visualization
The next sense is touch which is called kinesthetic. If you are someone who loves to move your body and you love touching things to understand and experience them, then your sense of touch is very strong. So use it in your visualization practices.
If you visualize your dream car, imagine the texture of the car seat on your skin. Imagine the actual driving experience with the wind on your skin, speed giving you butterflies in your tummy, and so on.
If you dream about your perfect holiday, then imagine all the physical things that you want to experience. All the different things that you get to touch. Get creative in bringing up the vision of your dream through your body and the nerves under your skin.
The senses of smell and taste are the least dominant ones but they can still be very strong for visualization purposes. How does your new car smell like? What does the food taste like on your dream holiday?
Use all of your senses during visualization
That’s the reason why I always ask you to bring up all of the senses during my visualisation meditations. I never just focus on one sense aka your vision. I always ask questions that help you to bring up all your senses so you can see which one is the strongest.
Here is the link to my most-played meditation on my YouTube channel which is a short & sweet visualization meditation.
Visualization is just 1 part of mental rehearsal
And before we end, I will leave you with another important ingredient when it comes to mental rehearsal. Because visualization is just one part of mental rehearsal. Again, something not so many people tell you about that there is another important component to rehearse your desired future. And those are our feelings.
The way you feel during your visualization efforts is the often missing ingredient to move towards your desired future. It’s how you get your body to change.
If you visualize yourself to be rich but your body is conditioned to be poor or undeserving of being wealthy, all your efforts in the visualization department might never get you there. We need to bring up the feelings that go along with being wealthy so the body starts to feel in alignment with our vision.
Learn more about emotions as part of mental rehearsal in Episode 75
If you want to learn more about that aspect of mental rehearsal then listen to Episode 75 where I explain why emotions are such a crucial part of the process.
I hope this episode has helped you to give visualisation another chance. You have now many different options to make it work for yourself.
Two easy ways to show your appreciation!
If you found value in today’s episode, here’s what you can do to show your support:
First, consider making a donation to the podcast. Every little bit helps to cover the costs of producing and hosting the show. And ensures that I can continue to bring you the latest insights and opinions on the topic of energy and improving your life.
Second, leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This helps boost the podcast’s visibility and attract new listeners, which helps me create more tailored content for you to enjoy.
So whether you choose to donate, leave a rating and review, or both, know that you’re an integral part of my vision. You are helping everyone who struggles with burnout or high-stress levels to experience how awesome their life can be. So, thank you for your support!
You Might Also Like
- How Changing Actually Looks & Feels Like Episode 109
- Walking Meditation for Beginners – What, Why and How Episode 105
- Ask Better Questions to Create a Better Life Episode 90
Free Meditation to Manifest Your Goals
This meditation is for you if you need help in manifesting your goals, vision and intentions.
I’ve created two versions for you to choose from based on how you are feeling and how much time you have: 17-Minute OR 10-Minute.
Follow me on social media
