I can understand how thinking positively, changing your mindset and expectations might bring you closer to the things you want in life. But is there any evidence that visualisation actually works?

If it does, is there any kind of scientific evidence or theory by which it would work? Again, I can see how thinking positively may change your reality as you interact differently with the world, but what about visualisation?

I know some people talk about parallel universes and such and that visualising makes one reality come into being, but I find that all a bit airy fairy and difficult to understand. Does anyone know of any articles or books or papers with any evidence surrounding visualisation?

I guess there must be some work in the sporting realm about it helping in sports performance, or perhaps for giving a public talk if you visualise speaking in front of an audience many times before, but what manifesting material objects, partners etc. It all sounds good in theory, but do we know if it works with these things,and if so how and why?

asked 11 Feb '14, 06:41

Inner%20Beauty's gravatar image

Inner Beauty
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edited 11 Feb '14, 10:19

IQ%20Moderator's gravatar image

IQ Moderator ♦♦
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@Inner Beauty - There are a few incidents about visualization here, from Schwarzenegger, Jim Carey, the lotto winners, etc.: http://www.inwardquest.com/questions/58775/here-is-absolute-proof-of-the-power-of-belief-and-positive-expectation-will-you-add-to-the-evidence

(11 Feb '14, 12:39) lozenge123
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If you want evidence, you need look no farther than study the mental habits of top athletic performers (or, for that matter, top performers in any creative endeavor). They all use visualization to keep themselves performing at a top level. And yes, they've been studied in depth by scientists; there are plenty of studies out there that show visualization works.

link

answered 11 Feb '14, 18:34

Vesuvius's gravatar image

Vesuvius
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edited 11 Feb '14, 18:34

Thanks. That's good to know!

(13 Feb '14, 17:13) Inner Beauty

Evidence of imagination/visualization is everywhere around you. The house you live in, the car you drive, the street you drive on, your TV, the airplane you flew on the last time you travelled. All of these things were once in someone's imagination.

Is there any written evidence? The Bible, the Sumerian tablets, Ancient Egyptian writings, Aztec writings, etc. The ancients told us all about it and told us how to do it, but modern society takes it as nonsense and history. People today want to see proof and results right here right now in order for them to believe it.

"Positive thinking" and "imagining" are two completely different things as you can imagine the worst scenario and have it manifest just as quickly as you can think of the best scenario and have it manifest. Positive thinking raises your frequency. Imagining creates the scenario.

Parallel universes can be hard for the average person to understand or believe in and to take someone's word on it that it exists raises doubt. Keeping in mind the human brain cannot understand, nor was it even designed to perceive things outside this earth plane we live on. Things are taken care of on another level which we can't even fathom. Just like in the 1700's if you told someone in Europe that they could be in North America in roughly 5 hours by airplane, and this airplane can carry 500 other people. You probably would have been arrested and executed because that was unthinkable because their brains didn't perceive or understand today's technology.

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answered 11 Feb '14, 13:15

Eldavo's gravatar image

Eldavo
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edited 11 Feb '14, 13:20

1

I have horrible things run through my imagination, but they never manifest...

(12 Feb '14, 05:51) SR7
2

Yes, we all have those same thoughts on occasion. If I get them I will immediately shake it off and say "No!" so that it won't stick around. The difference is, for example, if you have a flash image fly through your imagination of something horrible then it's gone in a couple of seconds it usually doesn't manifest anything, but if you're focusing on and being in the scene with the feelings of that horrible image already happening it will usually manifest

(12 Feb '14, 10:31) Eldavo

@SR7 yes, that's a question I've pondered about too. Thanks for your reply to this and comments above @Eldavo! I'm willing to accept many things may be true even if we don't have evidence for them just now.... but it's also good if we can try to make some sense out of it in the here and now (if possible).

(13 Feb '14, 17:16) Inner Beauty
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You´ll get the best evidence by trying it for yourself, and if it works for you, why caring about scientific evidence?

Visualization itself doesn´t do a damn, what matters is the state of being it gets you to. Some authors call it vibration, others frequency, others state of being.

You can do small experiments and progressively taking them to bigger ones. Write down in a notebook your goals to track your findings.

For example, think of a friend, remember what is like to be in his/her presence, now think of another friend, remember what is like to be with him/her, thinking of each two of them gave you different feelings, well, that´s the frequency/vibration many authors talk about.

Try doing it with a close friend you regularly see, see what happens, then do it thinking of a friend you have long time no seeing them, see what happens know.

I put the examples of friends because that´s a familiar thing and the feelings you feel by visualizing them are immediate, but you can do it with anything. Again, I encourage you to track your goals and findings by writting them down with date.

Best

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answered 11 Feb '14, 21:11

Tarkus's gravatar image

Tarkus
1314

Thanks @Tarkus. Yes, different feelings and they say that's what it's all about rather than the images you see. I think knowing there is some evidence it works is useful if you are going to put time and energy into something, but I guess you are right that in the end only you can prove it to yourself

(13 Feb '14, 17:19) Inner Beauty

The best evidence is to practice visualization yourself then you would know and you wouldn't even feel the need to pose this question. Having said that, there is always the well used example of the psychologist's experiment with a group of basket ball players;

"Australian Psychologist Alan Richardson made a little experiment. He took a group of basketball players, divided them in 3 groups and tested each player's ability to make free throws.

The first group would practice 20 minutes every day. The second would only visualize themselves making free throws, but no real practice was allowed. The third one would not practice or visualize. The results were astounding. There was significant improvement on the group that only visualized; they were almost as good as they guys who actually practiced."

http://expertenough.com/1898/visualization-works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evfXRO6Fr8M

L&L

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answered 11 Feb '14, 10:02

jaz's gravatar image

jaz
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edited 11 Feb '14, 10:10

1

Thanks Jaz! That was great.

(13 Feb '14, 17:23) Inner Beauty
1

Awesome, thanks for the video.

(13 Feb '14, 18:36) arpgme
1

thanks @Inner Beauty, @arpgme ... visualization really does extend your energy beyond the visible, into the realms of the invisible and allows you to create your own reality

"Man is condemned to be free ; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does" Jean-Paul Sartre

(14 Feb '14, 03:04) jaz
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It works all the time for my karate. It worked for Jimi Hendrix, he used to imagine he was playing for thousands of people. That dream came true for him at Woodstock. 5 Now if you are talking about as you so mentioned for manifesting. This is more than visualization, you need faith as well. So there is more to it than just fantasy that you later apply. You need faith that what you are putting in your imagination is being done.

When I let the Holy Spirit flow for a healing or a casting out, I imagine it and believe it. I get results because of the faith that what I an doing is indeed being done.

I can imagine passing a test but I still need to be ready. The visualization gives confidence that I will pass and lets me relax knowing that it will be all right.

Visualizing an object, like an expensive object as a mansion, can be easy but, having the faith to know you will get it that is key and the hard part.

As I kid I was so good at that. I would see what my friends had and say, "That is cool, I'm going to get a dirt bike too, but mine I want higher handle bars, mag wheels, something more like a motorcycle seat and much stronger forks!" I have no idea to this day what gave me the arrogance to say the type of bike I am getting but that exact bike came to me, exactly as I imagined it would be. I did this before when I wanted a chrome chopper bicycle after seeing a biker movie. I had no idea if one existed, I just wanted one, I wanted big handle bars and again a seat similar to motorcycle seat. Everything came to me exactly as I had wanted.

Both of these bikes, I never saw another like either of them and yet both were at the bike shop when I wanted them.

I would get excited and say, "I'm going to get one but mine will be like this." I'd even tell my mom and dad that is what I want, there would be no picture to show, I'd just explain it then wait with anticipation and excitement for Christmas!

I found my bike I imagined! Mine had black hand grips and was blue instead of red also my handle bars were black.alt text

I can't find in google anything even close to the chrome chopper bicycle I had. I'll bet it was one of a kind, and I gave it away!

link

answered 11 Feb '14, 11:18

Wade%20Casaldi's gravatar image

Wade Casaldi
36.9k428102

edited 11 Feb '14, 12:14

@Wade. Thanks so much for your story. I'm so glad you visualised and got your bike. Having your visualisation manifest at a young age must have helped you a lot for having faith in visualisation. And as you say faith is also an equally important component.

(13 Feb '14, 17:26) Inner Beauty

@ursixx thanks, but that isn't even close to the one I had. But I appreciate the effort. :-)

(14 Feb '14, 14:28) Wade Casaldi
1

@Inner Beauty yes it seemed to be an innocent natural faith, like this is normal natural. I didn't even know at the time what I was doing.

(14 Feb '14, 14:33) Wade Casaldi
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