Visualize Your Success
Module 5 of The Willpower Program
Visualization, also known as Guided Imagery, is a well-established intervention that can help you achieve your goals more quickly and effectively.
As you know, repeated practice of any behavior will improve the proficiency and consistency with which we perform the routine. This applies to motor routines like shooting a basketball, behavioral routines such as avoiding certain foods, or even adopting new thought patterns.
Visualization is based on the principle that our brain cannot distinguish between real practice and one that we imagine in our minds. The brain accepts both inputs equally to create or strengthen procedural, non-declarative memories deep in the lower layers of our brain. These are the very same memories that we call upon when we execute the desired routine or behavior:
Note that there are two types of visualization, the combination of which will yield the best results. There are:
• Process Visualization, which describes the process of performing the habit or routine; and
• Outcome Visualization, which describes the thoughts and emotions we experience once we have achieved our goal.
Research:
The effect of Visualization or Guided Imagery on goal achievement has been studied extensively. In one study, Barbel Knauper of McGill University in Montreal, was able to show that participants who visualized their intended behavior were significantly more likely to achieve their goal of adopting new eating habits.
In his book, Guided Imagery for Self-Healing, Martin Rossman describes guided imagery techniques to help improve wellness, handle chronic pain and faster healing after surgery or aggressive treatment such as chemo-therapy.
Practice Guidelines:
To practice Visualization, write down a visualization script of the behavior you want to adopt. Write it in vivid detail involving all the senses including sight, sound, smell, touch, thoughts and emotions.
Also, write a visualization script of your experiences, thoughts, and emotions once you have reached your goal, for example, achieving your desired nutrition routine, fitness level, or weight.
Then practice the process and outcome visualizations at least once per day for 20 to 30 minutes. Sit or lie in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes and imagine your visualization script.
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