In my path back to self after the N-trauma I found that visualization techniques were invaluable. Suffering awful anxiety, inability to think, sleep or eat, I found great relief in visualization. It takes time, and it is I suppose a bit of a knack, like learning to ride a bike. It kind of clicks in one day.,
After all, visualization is widely used in sports psychology to improve performance and confidence in self. It can be very effective, and is not something to be afraid of.
I know that there is a line of thought that visualization is somehow linked to "magic" and magicians, It is, if you are a practising magician!
And it is not a new concept by any means.
""Visualization is creating pictures in the mind. It is the conscious production of mental imagery. Psychology and religion have long recognized this process as an effective means for shaping skills and talents, alleviating pain and illness, and activating one’s spirituality.
Images - the building blocks of visualization - spring from deep within us. Possessing a dynamic drive with an enormous emotional power, they impact our bodies and minds in a positive or negative manner, depending on their vividness, repetition, and reception by the subconscious, whose task it is to externalize those images which impress it. Since mental imagery triggers much of human behavior, it is advantageous to make every effort to influence the deeper levels of our minds with those constructive images we wish the subconscious to actualize.
Visualization is most effective when practiced in a relaxed state of mind called passive concentration. Effort inhibits success, often resulting in anxiety and stress. This undesirable response is called “the principle of paradoxical intentions.” We can avoid this unproductive situation by relaxing our bodies and refraining from strenuous effort whenever we practice visualization.
