Want to be more popular? Fancy a new job? A better bod? Great sex? All this can be yours using the power of thought alone...
When it comes to getting what you want from life, your mind is probably your most powerful and under-estimated tool. If you can work out your desires and needs, then focus your mind using a process known as creative visualization, the world will soon be pretty much your oyster. Whether you want to improve your job prospects, change your body, or find a deep and meaningful relationship, creative visualization is the way to do it...
WHAT IS CREATIVE VISUALIZATION?
Basically, it's a kind of self-hypnosis using images rather than words to influence the unconscious mind and get everything you want in life.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
It's been pretty much accepted that hypnosis - suggestion using words to the unconscious mind - works. Many psychologists agree that creative visualization works even better, because if actual images can be conjured up in the mind's eye, they'll have a far greater impact than mere words. A strong mental image leads to an emotional response and this, in turn, could trigger physical action and/or a change in behaviour. You can use visualization for many purposes. If you simply want to make your day better for example, all you have to do is imagine the events of the coming day as you would want them to be. If, in your mind's eye, you can actually see yourself getting a seat on the train, finding a great parking space or finishing a tiresome task, for example, you're more likely to actually achieve those things when you're faced with them.
Regular users of visualization sometimes claim to have inner "guides", often seen as people - people who experts believe are different aspects of the individual's sub-conscious. These guides are said to advise in ways you can't advise yourself and can often reach solutions amazingly quickly. It would appear that some of these inner guides can even see into the future!
BEFORE YOU START...
There are a few points to bear in mind before you even begin to visualise a better life for yourself. Such as:
* Be positive. Suzanne Howe, a clairvoyant who specialises in creative visualization, says: "The key to successful visualization is positivity. Avoid negative thoughts and images."
* View yourself in a positive way too and try not to put yourself down either verbally or in your mind.
* Be realistic. Don't ask for a million pounds or a famous film star lover. No matter how good you are at the art of visualization, this is perhaps asking a bit much.
* Don't expect things to come to you in a direct way. Sometimes, the use of visualization causes your wishes to come true in a rather roundabout fashion! (see the THINK YOURSELF GORGEOUS section below.)
* Don't rely on Fate to carry you along. Make a conscious effort to direct and control your life.
* Read as much as you can on the subject. Try Creative Visualisation by Shakti Gawain (published by at
£4.99) and Teach Yourself Visualization by Pauline Wills (published by Hodder & Stoughton at £5.99). You can find both these books in New Age bookshops or in the New Age section of larger book stores. Some shops sell creative visualization tapes too.
HOW TO DO IT
1. Find a quiet, softly-lit room, somewhere you won't be disturbed. Expert Suzanne Howe says: "Do it when your brainwaves are calm and your mind is uncluttered - just before you fall asleep is often a good time."
2. Light some candles and/or burn some incense if you think this would relax you more.
3. Sit comfortably or lie down.
4. Close your eyes.
5. Take long deep breaths - not so big that you hyperventilate though - and count backwards in your mind from ten down to one, making an effort to relax more and more as you go.
6. Concentrate hard on what you want and actually picture yourself achieving your goal. Once the picture is firmly in your thoughts, Suzanne Howe recommends shifting it mentally to the left. According to her, this represents moving the image into the future.
7. Tell yourself you deserve whatever it is you desire and that what you want is for the good of everybody - not just yourself. Imagine how it will actually benefit other people in your life.
8. Once you have a very clear picture in your mind, mentally draw a white circle around the image.
9. Keep the image fixed in your mind and at the same time imagine a bright white light beaming down onto your head and through your body. Once you've done that, shine the light onto the image within the white circle, so that the whole circle is filled with light, making the image brighter.
