YOUR CAPACITIES

Visualization

The objective use of imagination

The capacity of visualizing is one of the most fantastic resources we have, though many people aren't aware that they use it. Have you ever planned something? Have you had any fantasy? Or dreamed about something you would like to have or live? You are able to do those things because of this capacity of imagining and create, that we call visualization (you may find the concept with other names, like mentalization, fantasy or mental rehearsal).

Visualizing is a so powerful resource that you can even react physically to what you're seeing internally. What about your fantasies, have they ever changed something in yourself? To verify this once more, close your eyes and imagine yourself eating one of your preferred plates. Think as if it was happening now, you bringing to mouth the fork with food and slowly chewing, while you feel all the pleasure of the sensations over your tongue. Do you have water in your mouth now?

I have already heard persons saying that they can't visualize, but what really happens is that, as we don't need to be conscious of the images to do it, they simply have not paid attention to them. For example, spell "possible", paying attention to what you do internally. The common strategy is to generate an image of the word before reading each letter in turn. But we can do this so well that we don't even need to know how we do it, that is, the thinking/perceptual process behind it. This is inclusive an evidence of competence in the strategy, the so-called unconscious competence: the intermediate steps are executed so quickly that we don't have time to notice them.

Here we use visualization with a defined purpose, like constructing new possibilities of behavior and change the course of thinking and emotions, within well-structured strategies with a well-defined desired outcome, possibly combined with other support strategies.
 

Examples of articles in which the visualization capacity/tool is applied:

Empowerment: Inspiration to overcome presumed limits

Emotional Intelligence: A happy ending to 13 years of nightmares

Day-to-day: How to not miss the year when filling checks

V. V. Vilela

Editor

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