Imagination, what is it, and how can it help us to change?
There is often something that we want to change about ourselves. This may be stress, anxiety, or some way we think, feel or behave. One great tool that can help you is the power of your mind, that’s imagination.
Imagination isn’t just limited to childhood dreams and daydreaming, although children are particularly skilled at using their imagination.
I remember my son, who used to play late at night with plastic toy figures. These little men would talk to each other, and a story would emerge. But as a mother, I felt that sleep was more important, so I took the toys away at night. But he used his imagination and held up his two index fingers, and they became his toy men again, and the game continued!
What is imagination?
Imagination is a mental process that allows us to detach from the present and transport our thoughts to the past or the future.
Everyone experiences it differently, making an exact definition difficult.
Imagination is not the same as visualisation. Some people can see pictures while others cannot. They may sense something or hear something. That’s still imagination.
Some people are exceptionally good at imagining, while others struggle to do so.
Children often have vivid imaginations. Some people believe that this ability tends to diminish with age, but some psychologists think that it gets better with age as we adapt.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Albert Einstein.
The English Dictionary describes imagination as:
The ability to form pictures in the mind.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/imagination#google_vignette
Underneath this is the mind’s power to change mental states to take the person away from reality.
What happens in the brain when we imagine things?
Until the development of neuroscience, this was a mystery.
However, through brain scans, we now know that imagination isn’t confined to a single area of the brain.
Three regions of the brain are most closely associated with imagination. These are the areas of mood, reflection, and memory (Default mode network), the areas of motivation, attention, and emotion (Salience network), and the areas of thought, decision-making, and problem-solving (Executive Network).
So, you can see that the brain is complex when it comes to imagining things.
Types of imagination
According to Adam Zen, as cited in Reader’s Digest, there are several types of imagination.
Most people think of creative imagination. That’s good because we often need to be a bit creative to find solutions to a problem.
But there is also reproductive imagination, where your mind can reproduce an object.
Next, there is perceptive imagination. This is where you can perceive things through your experiences.
Then there is cultural imagination. Here, our culture shapes our imagination.
But others describe the types of imagination in different ways.
For example, active imagination is a technique where we actively engage in imagining something. In contrast, passive imagination occurs when something spontaneously enters our minds.
Why use your imagination to change?
Imagination connects with many of our desires. It can help you change, inspire you, and aid in your future growth. It’s transformational.
Imagination also has a downside.
If you continually imagine the worst in the future, you may become anxious.
If you imagine negative experiences in the past, then you can become depressed.
3 Ways to get the best out of your imagination
Particularly if you are under a lot of pressure and feeling stressed, give yourself some time to relax and imagine positive things for yourself. Allow your mind to wander towards positive things.
This can be achieved by lying on the bed or sitting in a chair and thinking of something positive. For example, if you are worried about giving a speech, imagine how well you are doing it. Hear your voice in that positive way, and listen to people clapping at the end. Imagine people patting you on the back and saying, ‘well done.’ Then imagine the positive feelings you can have from that imaginative experience. A fear of public speaking can be helped.
I like to use clouds to help me imagine. Sit in a place where you can look up at the sky and imagine as the clouds drift past. For me, this is easy when I’m walking my dog.
Here are the three ways I believe imagination can help someone easily.
- Imagine solutions, not barriers.
- Imagine calm, not chaos.
- Imagine achievements and success.
One great way to use your imagination is to listen to your inner voice. Take control and tell it to stop talking to you in a negative voice.
Alternatively, read stories that inspire you.
Furthermore, imagination can develop with practice, and it feels good.
So, what do you think about imagination now? Will you learn to harness the power of your mind?
How can hypnotherapy and counselling help with imagination and change?
Hypnotherapy utilises imagination as one method to help people make changes. You are guided to imagine situations, feelings and different perspectives on a problem. This can help you reframe a problem.
Hypnotherapy can help you dissociate from negative thoughts and feelings and visualise a positive future.
Some counsellors also use imagination in visualisation to feel better and change a problem.
Finally,
If you want to harness the power of your mind and imagination to make changes in your life, hypnotherapy can be a helpful tool.
