Visual imagery is probably best known for its direct effects on physiology. Visual imagery is a flow of thoughts you can see, hear, feel, smell or taste. Visual imagery is a window on your inner world, a way of viewing your own ideas, feelings and interpretations. This is quite different from visual perception because visual perception requires that object to be actually present and visual imagery does not.
Visual imagery refers to the ability to visualize, that is, the ability to form mental pictures or to see in the “mind’s eye”. You can’t think about calming images and stress at the same time. Mindfulness activities such as visual imagery help relax your mind and are often combined with body, centered relaxation exercises.
The stress response, perhaps the best understood example of the mind- body connection. When you are feeling stress whether it is from your work, family life, or financial challenges, creating a mental image of something nice, can certainly reduce stress quite quickly. You can use this technique to turn off your stress response in most cases.
Some examples of visual imagery would be imagining yourself on a nice white sandy beach or doing your favorite activity. Visualizing happy thoughts and events in your life such as a baby shower you enjoyed a week ago, or the fantastic trip you took up to the mountains last weekend would also be considered visual imagery. While thinking of these pleasant thoughts and visualizing the tranquility of how it made you feel, this will turn off the stress response quite fast. |
