HOW TO VISUALIZE

HOW TO VISUALIZE
Many people wonder exactly what is meant by the term“visualize.” Some worry because they don’t actually“see” a mental picture or image when they close their eyesand try to visualize. When some people first try to visualize,they feel that “nothing is happening.” Usually, they are sim-ply blocking themselves by trying too hard. They may befeeling that there’s a “right way” to do this, and that theirown experience is incorrect or inadequate. If this is how youfeel, you need to stop worrying, relax, and accept what hap-pens naturally for you.Don’t get stuck on the term “visualize.” It is not at allnecessary to mentally see an image. Some people say they seevery clear, sharp images when they close their eyes andimagine something. Others don’t really “see” anything; theysense or feel it, or they just sort of “think about” it. That’sperfectly fine. Some people are more visually oriented, someare auditory, others are more kinesthetic. We all use ourimaginations constantly, it’s impossible not to, so whateverprocess you find yourself doing when you imagine is fine.If you still don’t feel sure what it means to visualize, readthrough each of these exercises, then close your eyes and seewhat comes naturally to you:Close your eyes and relax deeply. Think of some familiarroom such as your bedroom or living room. Remember somefamiliar details of it, such as the color of the carpet, the waythe furniture is arranged, how bright or dark it is. Imagineyourself walking into the room and sitting or lying down on acomfortable chair, couch, or bed.Now recall some pleasant experience you have had in thelast few days, especially one involving good physical sensationssuch as eating a delicious meal, receiving a massage, swim-ming in cool water, or making love. Remember the experienceas vividly as possible, and enjoy the pleasurable sensationsonce again.Now imagine that you are in some idyllic country setting,perhaps relaxing on soft green grass beside a cool river, or wan-dering through a beautiful, lush forest. It can be a place that youhave been, or an ideal place where you would like to go. Thinkof the details, and create it any way you would like it to be.Whatever process you used to bring these scenes to yourmind is your way of “visualizing.”There are actually two different modes involved in cre-ative visualization. One is receptive, the other is active. Inthe receptive mode we simply relax and allow images orimpressions to come to us without choosing the details ofthem; we take what comes. In the active mode we con-sciously choose and create what we wish to see or imagine.Both these processes are an important part of creative visu-alization, and both your receptive and active abilities will bestrengthened through practice.Special Problems with VisualizationOccasionally a person has completely blocked his* abili-ty to visualize or imagine at will, and feels that he simply“can’t do it.” This type of block usually arises from a fear,and it can be worked through if the person who experiencesthe difficulty desires to solve the problem.Usually a person blocks his ability to use creative visual-ization out of a fear of what he may encounter by lookinginside himself — fear of his own unacknowledged feelingsand emotions.For example, I know a person who was consistent-ly unable to visualize, and kept falling asleep during the med-itations. It turned out that he had once had a profoundlyemotional experience during a visualization process, and hewas afraid he would be embarrassed by becoming emotionalin front of others.Another woman had difficulty visualizing untilshe went through therapy and was able to get in touch with,experience, and release painful feelings that she had buriedinside since childhood.The truth is that there is nothing within us that can hurtus; it is only our fear of experiencing our own feelings thatcan keep us trapped.If anything unusual or unexpected arises during medita-tion, the best thing is simply to look at it fully, be with it andexperience it as much as you can, and you will find that iteventually will lose any negative power over you. Our fearsarise from things we don’t confront. Once we are willing tolook fully and deeply at the source of a fear, it loses its power. Ifwe feel overwhelmed, it can be very helpful to get supportfrom a good counselor or therapist who can help us accept andexpress our feelings. This is especially important if we’ve hada lot of pain or trauma in our lives.Fortunately, problems with visualization are relativelyrare. As a rule, creative visualization comes naturally, and themore you practice it, the easier it becomes.