Does visualization really work?

[Invictus]

Y’all might find an anecdote interesting.

Back in college I was lifting weights with a friend. We were doing skullcrushers, essentially laying on a bench, lowering a bar down to our forehead, and lifting it back up.

By the third set, I was struggling. My right arm was literally shaking and it was dipping far down, so the bar was uneven. There was no way to get it further up. I figured I had hit my limit and would have to call it.

My friend simply says, “Imagine the weight further out and the bar is even.” Easy enough, so I did.

It was like magic. The bar IMMEDIATELY stabilized and went even, and I got it back up and even managed a couple of extra reps. I could have done another set entirely.

It was scary how quickly that set changed from literally just engaging my imagination.

 

[mdot]

I completely agree with this take! As someone with aphantasia, I technically can't "visualise" anything. Ask me to close my eyes and visualise an apple and it'll be all black, I won't see anything. I've tried to believe in it and force it, but I just can't do it. So I don't think that belief is the only factor, there is a biological aspect that enables you to visualise. If you can that's great, if you can't that's fine too.

For me, focus, analysing and planning work better.

Very interesting point!

@Eudaimonium do you perhaps have aphantasia as well? For me, the word "visualize" is completely the right term for the practice, but I totally get that the term might not make sense to anyone that can't visualize in the way most can.

 

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[Jobless]

Very interesting point!

@Eudaimonium do you perhaps have aphantasia as well? For me, the word "visualize" is completely the right term for the practice, but I totally get that the term might not make sense to anyone that can't visualize in the way most can.

Wouldn't say so, but when a scenario is imagined / hypothesized in the mind, it can be perceived with all mental senses. So for some, the visual aspect could be stronger, for some the imagination can evoke a feeling, or a sound, or even a taste or smell. They are hallucinations (sensory experiences that appear real but are created by your mind)

Hallucinations can be of all sensory types:

• Visual hallucinations
• Olfactory hallucinations
• Gustatory hallucinations
• Auditory hallucinations
• Tactile hallucinations

So we might as well call the practice of 'visualization' -- voluntary hallucination / self-induced hypnosis.

Some people do drugs for this sort of experience, others get their mind involuntarily warped by other people. If you want to do it on your own, you have to be relaxed mentally so you can focus on creating the imagination of the experience.

To focus is to remove distraction, which is active.

To then perceive / feel / experience, is passive and a result of having removed distraction.

If you only close your eyes and imagine, you may only experience the visual hallucination. If you remove all sensory distraction, by getting in a float tank or similar, you can experience the other sensory hallucinations more clearly.

Concept is the same with meditation, which is passive, and requires no focus. Getting into the state of meditation is what takes focus.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Student]

The great physicist Albert Einstein once said: "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." The great preacher Norman Vincent Peale even said it better: "Prayerize, visualize, actualize—that is the formula for successful imaging."

 

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[Mattie]

Another name for Visualization is Mental rehearsal. I have no problem with visualization. In fact, I always have to pay attention to what I'm focused on because it's the way you interact with other people, the choices you make, the actions you take. The outcome of what your focused on.

If your focused on becoming a "Victim" they you will create a situation with your anger, revenge, and get even with someone and create the crisis for you to figure out why you needed to get in fist fight with your neighbor over a bag of chips. Then was it worth it to have stitches in your forehead for a bag of chips? When you could have chosen a more mature way to deal with the situations where no one got hurt by staying calm.

With all the technology of A.I. in the future it's where you have to be focused and if you don't know how to visualize, focus, and concentrate, it might be hard to change your television channel for example, or record your dreams, or different technology coming out where you have a band.

This New Technology Lets You Change The Channel With Your Mind

The BBC is testing a new type of headset that can read a user’s brainwaves and use their brain activity to change the channel.

www.sciencealert.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOuw6gMj1d0

 

[TylerDW]

I used to be in the camp that visualization was dumb.

Then I started using it in my workouts.

Then I started lifting massive amounts of weight, so much more than my small frame could handle, to the point the beefy bodybuilders were like, "Huh?"

After 3 expensive orthopedic surgeries on various body parts due to an extremely heavy lifting routine, I'm now a believer in visualization.

As a human, you can believe, or disbelieve, whatever you want.

Some people still believe the Earth is flat and everything related to space is conspiratorial theater.

I'm currently Reading your book Millionaire Fastlane. Thanks, I needed that!
I also think that visualization can create whatever you want to believe, sometimes it doesn't line up with natural laws, but you can still choose it. Do you think that it is a good long term theory though? To believe things that aren't real? In your case it caused you to get Ortho surgery. In earth flat cases they just fear of falling off of the earth or reaching the 'wall' at the end of the planet or board game, whatever they call it.

 

[Student]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOuw6gMj1d0

Hi Mattie,
Very interesting video. Yes, I think that virtual reality therapy will be the future in conditioning people's minds from negative to positive.

 

[Mattie]

Hi Mattie,
Very interesting video. Yes, I think that virtual reality therapy will be the future in conditioning people's minds from negative to positive.

i agree. It worked for me. I'd recommend it anytime.

 

[prince1234]

In the The Millionaire Fastlane there was something about visualization . I wanted to know that do you guys believe in visualization. I totaly hate it and i don't believe in it . But my father follow a so called "guru" who always promote visualization. so I was curious is that really work because it didn't work with me.

 

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[prince1234]

I used to be in the camp that visualization was dumb.

Then I started using it in my workouts.

Then I started lifting massive amounts of weight, so much more than my small frame could handle, to the point the beefy bodybuilders were like, "Huh?"

After 3 expensive orthopedic surgeries on various body parts due to an extremely heavy lifting routine, I'm now a believer in visualization.

As a human, you can believe, or disbelieve, whatever you want.

Some people still believe the Earth is flat and everything related to space is conspiratorial theater.

It means it upto me? I should believe or not.

 

[prince1234]

it means sometimes it really work. But not everytime.

 

[prince1234]

The irony about your question is in order for visualization to work you must believe in it! Let me repeat: In order for visualization to work you must believe in it!

Visualize right before you go to bed and right when you wake up. Report back here in a month.

Ok, i will do as you say.

 

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[AnasHarn]

I was very sceptical about visualisation because the first time I heard about it was related to all "The Secret" universe and it was like : Visualise something, think about it everyday and it will come to your life by magic...

Since then I saw some serious people talking about Visualisation and I did some researches and it was a totally different use of it. In fact Visualisation was used as a mental preparation for the task you have to take. And for me it worked well.

Just like a champion visualising his victory before going to the game, visualising successful job interviews or meetings always gave me like a feeling of deja-vu / confidence.

 

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[prince1234]

I'm glad you are taking it seriously. Many professional athletes, musicians and others use visualization. It's been proven in respects to "practicing in your mind", i.e., musician plays instrument in their head and when they actually play the instrument they are better. BUT WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING is the fact it has been known for over 100 years as a way to get into a part of the mind call the "subconscious". If you want to know more look up Napoleon Hill + autosuggestion and read his instructions. That was written at the tiem when visualization was very popular, particularly in France.

Belief, absolute faith, that it works is the key. Repetition is also vital. You need to give it time. But as Napoleon Hill stated, it will cause miracles. Not magic. Miracles in things that do not violate the laws of science. The world knows like .000001 of the actual science that exists! We know next to nothing.

Amazing ,It really work .Today i do as you say and it really work. Thanks

 

[Raoul Duke]

I believe “Alien” is a derogatory term for Extraterrestrials.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

I wrote about it in Unscripted (book 2).

Basically, for new weight achievements, I pictured myself lifting the weight easily and effortlessly.

There's an experiment you can do with visualization that I've done for years to prove its effectiveness. Folks who went to the last Fastlane Summit should remember it as I demonstrated. Perhaps someone can explain.

Ah, the turning experiment? I remember reading that in Unscripted and trying it - it worked!

 

[Thinh]

I don't think there's a definitive answer to whether visualisation works or not.
It just works for some people, and doesn't for others.

You'll see some people ultra successful waking up 5am every morning, and others even more successful and they couldn't care less about waking up early.
Some will say meditation changed their life, others say it was meh.

Give it a wholehearted try, and see if it works for you.
But if you don't really believe in it, no amount of discussion will convince you more than experiencing it yourself.

 

[Deleted85763]

I feel the same exact way. Can't imagine many people have done the crazy things that I have done. In fact, I don't think people always believe me when I tell them stories.

What's a crazy thing that you did that people wouldn't believe?

 

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[Sharona87]

@Eudaimonium , another interesting point re hypnosis - no one has managed to successfully hypnotise me. I've been more than willing to try but it just can't/hasn't happened. I've gone to professionals for therapy purposes and even volunteered myself with entertainers (I actually had to get asked to get off the stage once because I just wasn't going "under"!).

May or may not have something to do with the aphantasia, who knows.

Just adding another 2c worth from a different perspective

 

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[AJ..]

I used to be in the camp that visualization was dumb.

Then I started using it in my workouts.

Then I started lifting massive amounts of weight, so much more than my small frame could handle, to the point the beefy bodybuilders were like, "Huh?"

After 3 expensive orthopedic surgeries on various body parts due to an extremely heavy lifting routine, I'm now a believer in visualization.

As a human, you can believe, or disbelieve, whatever you want.

Some people still believe the Earth is flat and everything related to space is conspiratorial theater.

 

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