Recommended Articles
| I wrote this article, found at Omplace.com, about improving the way we approach imagery dependent holistic practices. |
| Excellent introductory article by Megan Miller of guided imagery and the research supporting its use as a holistic therapy. |
| A Time magazine article that discusses cognitive neuroscience, which explains how the brain responds to the imagination. |
| The following themes, or main points, are those that I have identified as most instructive as far as understanding and constructing the most efficient imagery possible. The research articles are organized under the themes that I believe they support. |
Relevant Research
| 1. The brain does not heavily distinguish between what is real and what is imagined. Summary: Cognitive neuroscience has revealed that the brain responds to imaginal stimulation in the same ways as it responds to actual stimulation. I think this is the main point that allows us to finally understand ~why~ imagery related activities are so effective. Through the dynamics of brain plasticity, our imaginations shape and develop the wiring of our brains in the same way as “real life”. Some of these research articles describe mental practice, but I believe that many of the medically specific research articles also speak to this theme. |
| 2. The brain uses memory to construct new imagery. The neural pathways of past memory and “future” are strikingly similar. Perception is altered by imagery. Summary: Effective imagery techniques must respect the fact that the brain needs to pull from memory in order to construct imaginary experiences or future images of the self. The brain may not heavily distinguish between the past and future if the future image can be developed strongly enough to ring as true in the system. This may explain why some people who use “future success” imagery are more likely to have unshakable intrinsic motivation to reach their goal—because their brains already perceived the future self as if it were a memory that was already true. |
| 3. The more vivid the imagery, the stronger the shift/outcome; the less vivid the imagery, the weaker the shift/outcome. Summary: One of the biggest reasons that not everyone benefits from guided imagery and related modalities is because not everyone can naturally generate mental imagery that is on par with, or as stimulating to the brain, as a “real experience”. Belief, as it relates to imagery in the brain, means that the brain is treating the imaginal experience as if it were already true, which creates a cascade of changes that are in alignment to that belief. This might discourage some from using imagery techniques, but I believe that those with less vivid imagery ability can overlap real sensory stimulation with imaginary ones to boost their inner experiences by “tickling the brain” from the outside in. You can read my article (found above), Effective Imagery Techniques for the "Imaginally Challenged", to learn more. It was more difficult to find research that speaks to the disparity between people's ability to imagine and how that impacts outcome, but the research below did include vividness of the imagery as part of the measurement in how responsive the subjects were to stress relieving guided imagery. |
| 4. Meditative activities build the brain with practice. Summary: Meditation is defined as “sustained inner focus”. Research shows that meditation builds the brain, improves memory, concentration, and emotional integrity. While there are many different kinds of meditation, most use imagery in some way. All guided imagery is also guided meditation because the use of imagery requires a “sustained inner focus”. In this regard, those who consistently use imagery techniques can expect to “get better at it” over time as the pathways in the brain are established and forged. It may also help to create a greater sense of balance and wellness as a result of the areas of the brain that are built up during those practices. |
| 5. Imagery that involves the planting of positive, adaptive suggestions is most effective when the person is in a meditative or hypnotic state. Summary: Holistic mind-body-spirit techniques usually require one to enter into non- ordinary state of consciousness (aka altered state of consciousness) in order to work. Hypnosis, relaxation, and meditation (including guided imagery) all involve shifting from beta to alpha brain wave functioning. Effective imagery techniques need to build some type of “induction” to the experience in order to shift the brain into the level of consciousness that is most open to the planting of new suggestions. Hypnosis is only called hypnosis if you test for it, but states of deep relaxation and states of hypnosis are basically the same. A deeply relaxed, meditative state of mind is the optimal platform for mind-body-spirit work of any kind. I found a lovely research paper by a graduate student who experimented with "ego-strengthening" suggestions in both a state of hypnosis and without an altered state. Clearly, the altered state is a primary consideration when doing inner work. |