Creative Visualization (New Age)

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Creative Visualization is a term used by New Age, popular psychology, and self-help authors and teachers in two contexts. [1]

Contents

Firstly, it is used by some to denote the practice of generating positive and pleasant visual mental imagery with intent to recover from physical sickness or disability and eliminate psychological pain. [2] [3] Secondly, it is used by others to signify the generation of autobiographical visual mental imagery, by which the participant envisions himself or herself in desired circumstances, commonly evoking prospective images that depict abundance of financial wealth, professional or vocational success and achievement, pervasive health, and persistent happiness. [4]

Background

Creative Visualization and New Age Popularity

The use of the term 'Creative Visualization' to denote the practice of visualizing idealized autobiographical mental imagery indicative of physical, psychological, social, and financial goals has remained one of many self-realization or self-actualization pursuits characteristic of popular psychology and the New Age since the personal development author Shakti Gawain published a book entitled Creative Visualization in 1978. [5] [6]

The first line of the book reads "Creative Visualization is the technique of creating what you want in your life". The following opening paragraphs define imagination as the "creative energy of the universe", and introduces the book as a means by which to use the so-defined imagination to "create what you truly want - love, fulfillment, enjoyment, satisfying relationships, rewarding work, self-expression, health, beauty, prosperity, inner peace, and harmony." [5]

Nineteenth Century Origins in New Thought

Gawain's book popularized a premise derived from the New Thought movement that began during the nineteenth century, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. The premise is that individuals have a mind containing mental content, including thoughts, images, memories, and predictions, which become manifested through the experience of living. [7]

Claims and Hypotheses

According to advocates of New Thought, physical sickness and mental illness, as well as unfortunate circumstances, are the consequence of such mental content. Furthermore, they allege that when an individual controls, modifies, and regulates his or her mind and mental content, then material life and the experience of living alters accordingly, healing physical sickness, disability and psychological pain, and transforming destitution, indenture, and misery into wealth, autonomy, and happiness. [7]

Gawain's book focuses primarily on making changes to visual mental imagery, and attributes to it the capacity for hindering or facilitating an individual's potential, citing vivid anecdotal stories drawn from her experience and that of others to support her thesis. [5]

Subsequent to the popularity of the book, the practice of Creative Visualization, as described by Gawain, remained a staple and stable feature within the New Age movement, self-help media, and popular psychology of the 1980s, 1990s, and first decade of the 21st century. [6]

Universal Energy in Eastern Cultures

The belief in a universal life force or energy was and remains common to diverse ancient traditions, where it is variously named Qi or Ch'i in Chinese culture, (Traditional Chinese: 氣), (Simplified Chinese: 气), [8] and Prana (Sanskrit: प्राण) in Indian Hindu-based philosophies, religion, and cosmologies, [9] [10] and thereby was not an original concept formulated by Gawain.

Creative Visualization and Universal Energy in the 21st Century

The claim that thoughts and visual mental images are composed of a universal energy described by Gawain in 1978 as the "creative energy of the universe", which can be brought under volitional control by Creative Visualization was amplified and exaggerated twenty-eight years later by the author and television producer, Rhonda Byrne.

In 2006, Byrne made a film called 'The Secret', [11] and compiled a subsequent book of the same name, [12] which made significant claims for the potential human use of such an energy, and popularized a maxim called the 'Law of Attraction', originally proposed in 1906 by New Thought author William Walker Atkinson, in his book Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World. [13] [14]

Byrne's book and film The Secret, and its rendition of the 'Law of Attraction', asserted three claims. Firstly, that thoughts and other mental content, such as visual imagery, is composed of 'pure energy'. Secondly, that this is the same energy that permeates everyone, everything, and brings order to the universe. Thirdly, that this energy obeys the principle of 'like attracts like', such that if you think negative thoughts, or visualize unpleasant or undesirable images, the energy of which those thoughts and images are allegedly made will attract the material manifestation of what you think and visualize. [11]

According to advocates of this maxim, including Bob Proctor, Neale Donald Walsch, and Jack Canfield, it is also logically reversible, such that negative or undesirable circumstances are to be interpreted as the causal outcome of negative thoughts and images.

Criticism

Byrne's inspiration for The Secret [15] [16] came from a book entitled The Science of Getting Rich, by writer Wallace D. Wattles, originally published in 1910. [17] The assertions made in The Secret film and book have been widely criticized, sometimes scathingly, by a number of commentators, for implying that undesirable circumstances and conditions, such as poverty, physical pain and psychological pain, result exclusively from a failure to exercise control over the mind by successfully harnessing and directing a hypothetical universal energy, a concept upon which many New Age principles and practices rely. [18] [19]

The concept of positive thinking has far-reaching implications in many arenas making it a dangerous ideology to promote. By simply thinking positively, people can “cure” themselves of physical diseases, such as cancer, and will often refuse medical intervention on such grounds. [20] After The Secret aired on Oprah Winfrey, for example, a woman by the name of Kim Tinkham wrote a letter to Oprah telling her that she would be using positive mental imagery to fight against her breast-cancer diagnosis. [21] In order to believe in the power of positive thinking to cure oneself of illness or improve one’s life circumstances requires that we sacrifice rational thought as it goes against everything we know about the way the world works. [22] The cost of promoting the positive thinking movement results in lives lost as people begin to refuse medical treatments in favour of “curing” themselves. There are other costs as well. For example, businesses that refuse to acknowledge any problems with their business strategies because it is seen as being too pessimistic. [22] The person who does point out the flaws in business strategies is labelled as being all doom-and-gloom and an inadequate team player. In politics, it is also problematic because many campaigns and policy changes are promoted through the politicians’ sheer belief that a given policy or platform will be effective, rather than on the soundness of the policy itself. [23] The problems the positive thinking movement has brought upon the education system absolutely must be addressed. The influence of the positive thinking movement can be seen in the move towards an education system that values boosting self-esteem over educational accomplishment. [22] The idea was that boosting self-esteem would lead to high academic achievement, but all that has happened is that we focus exclusively on boosting self-esteem to the detriment of education attainment. Teachers cannot fail children so they are being passed through every grade regardless of their performance or how much knowledge they have demonstrated, and can pass in assignments whenever it so pleases them. [22] Such an educational system, which has been influenced by the positive thinking movement, is detrimental to society as a whole because it produces entitled kids who have no sense of responsibility, hard work, or accountability and likely will not be the kind of citizens who will contribute in a meaningful way to society. Furthermore, such children will find it difficult to succeed in a work environment where qualities such as responsibility, hard work, and accountability are still highly valued.

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Kundalini Form of divine energy (or shakti) believed to be located at the base of the spine (muladhara)

Kundalini, in Hinduism is a form of divine energy believed to be located at the base of the spine (muladhara). It is an important concept in Śaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine. This energy, when cultivated and awakened through tantric practice, is believed to lead to spiritual liberation. Kuṇḍalinī is associated with Paradevi or Adi Parashakti, the supreme being in Shaktism; and with the goddesses Bhairavi and Kubjika. The term, along with practices associated with it, was adopted into Hatha yoga in the 11th century. It has since then been adopted into other forms of Hinduism as well as modern spirituality and New age thought.

The term visualization may refer to:

Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally, in addition or opposition to employing the scientific method, it also relies on symbolic interpretation and critical analysis, although these traditions have tended to be less pronounced than in other social sciences, such as sociology. Psychologists study phenomena such as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Some, especially depth psychologists, also study the unconscious mind.

Wishful thinking decision-making based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence or rationality.

Wishful thinking describes decision-making and the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief, and desire.

Daydream short-term detachment from ones immediate surroundings, during which a persons contact with reality is blurred and partially substituted by a visionary fantasy

Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which participants spend 47% of their waking time on average on daydreaming. There are various names of this phenomenon including mind wandering, fantasy, spontaneous thoughts, etc. Daydreaming is the term used by Jerome L. Singer whose research programs laid the foundation for nearly all the subsequent research in this area today. The list of terminologies assigned by researchers today puts challenges on identifying the common features of the phenomenon, in this case daydreaming, and on building collective work among researchers.

A mental image or mental picture is an experience that, on most occasions, significantly resembles the experience of perceiving some object, event, or scene, but occurs when the relevant object, event, or scene is not actually present to the senses. There are sometimes episodes, particularly on falling asleep and waking up (hypnopompic), when the mental imagery, being of a rapid, phantasmagoric and involuntary character, defies perception, presenting a kaleidoscopic field, in which no distinct object can be discerned. Mental imagery can sometimes produce the same effects as would be produced by the behavior or experience imagined.

Keith E. Stanovich is Emeritus Professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto and former Canada Research Chair of Applied Cognitive Science. His research areas are the psychology of reasoning and the psychology of reading. His research in the field of reading was fundamental to the emergence of today's scientific consensus about what reading is, how it works and what it does for the mind. His research on the cognitive basis of rationality has been featured in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences and in recent books by Yale University Press and University of Chicago Press. His book What Intelligence Tests Miss won the 2010 Grawemeyer Award in Education. He received the 2012 E. L. Thorndike Career Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association.

Positive mental attitude (PMA) is a concept first introduced in 1937 by Napoleon Hill in the book Think and Grow Rich. The book never actually uses the term, but discusses about the importance of positive thinking as a contributing factor of success. Napoleon, along with W. Clement Stone, founder of Combined Insurance, later wrote Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, defines positive mental attitude as comprising the 'plus' characteristics represented by words as faith, integrity, hope, optimism, courage, initiative, generosity, tolerance, tact, kindliness and good common sense.

Guided meditation is a process by which one or more participants meditate in response to the guidance provided by a trained practitioner or teacher, either in person or via a written text, sound recording, video, or audiovisual media comprising music or verbal instruction, or a combination of both.

Creative visualization is the cognitive process of purposefully generating visual mental imagery, with eyes open or closed, simulating or recreating visual perception, in order to maintain, inspect, and transform those images, consequently modifying their associated emotions or feelings, with intent to experience a subsequent beneficial physiological, psychological, or social effect, such as expediting the healing of wounds to the body, minimizing physical pain, alleviating psychological pain including anxiety, sadness, and low mood, improving self-esteem or self-confidence, and enhancing the capacity to cope when interacting with others.

In the New Thought philosophy, the Law of Attraction is the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life. The belief is based on the ideas that people and their thoughts are made from "pure energy", and that a process of like energy attracting like energy exists through which a person can improve their health, wealth, and personal relationships.

Outline of thought Overview of and topical guide to thought

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to thought (thinking):

Shakti Gawain was a New Age and personal development author. Her books have sold over 10 million copies.

Imagination Creative ability

Imagination is the ability to produce and simulate novel objects, peoples and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. It is also described as the forming of experiences in the mind, which can be re-creations of past experiences such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or they can be completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process. A basic training for imagination is listening to storytelling (narrative), in which the exactness of the chosen words is the fundamental factor to "evoke worlds".

The Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) was developed in 1973 by the British psychologist David Marks. The VVIQ consists of 16 items in four groups of 4 items in which the participant is invited to consider the image formed in thinking about specific scenes and situations. The vividness of the image is rated along a 5-point scale. The questionnaire has been widely used as a measure of individual differences in vividness of visual imagery. The large body of evidence confirms that the VVIQ is a valid and reliable psychometric measure of visual image vividness.

<i>The Power of Positive Thinking</i> book by Norman Vincent Peale

The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living is a 1952 self-help book by Norman Vincent Peale. It makes use of positive case histories and practical instructions to propose the method of positive thinking. Peale's work describes how to achieve a permanent and optimistic attitude through unending positive conscious thought, usually through affirmations or visualizations. Peale writes that such techniques will give the reader a higher satisfaction and quality of life. Though negatively reviewed by scholars and health experts, The Power of Positive Thinking became popular in public opinion when first published and continues in popularity today.

Affirmations in New Thought and New Age terminology refer primarily to the practice of positive thinking and self-empowerment—fostering a belief that "a positive mental attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything." More specifically, an affirmation is a carefully formatted statement that should be repeated to one's self and written down frequently. For affirmations to be effective, it is said that they need to be present tense, positive, personal and specific.

<i>The Secret</i> (book) Book by Rhonda Byrne

The Secret is a best-selling 2006 self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, based on the earlier film of the same name. It is based on the belief of the law of attraction, which claims that thoughts can change a person's life directly. The book has sold 30 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 50 languages.

Guided imagery is a mind-body intervention by which a trained practitioner or teacher helps a participant or patient to evoke and generate mental images that simulate or re-create the sensory perception of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, movements, and images associated with touch, such as texture, temperature, and pressure, as well as imaginative or mental content that the participant or patient experiences as defying conventional sensory categories, and that may precipitate strong emotions or feelings in the absence of the stimuli to which correlating sensory receptors are receptive.

Audio therapy is the clinical use of recorded sound, music, or spoken words, or a combination thereof, recorded on a physical medium such as a compact disc (CD), or a digital file, including those formatted as MP3, which patients or participants play on a suitable device, and to which they listen with intent to experience a subsequent beneficial physiological, psychological, or social effect.

References

  1. ↑ Taylor, E., Shadow culture: Psychology and spirituality in America from the Great Awakening to the new age. Counterpoint, 1999.
  2. ↑ Bays, B. (2002). The journey: A road map to the soul. Simon and Schuster, 2002.
  3. ↑ Bays, B. (2012). The Journey: A Practical Guide to Healing Your Life and Setting Yourself Free. Simon and Schuster, 2012.
  4. ↑ Aldred, L., “Money is just spiritual energy”: Incorporating the New Age. The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 35, No. 4, 2002, pp61-74.
  5. 1 2 3 Gawain, S., Creative visualization. New World Library, 2002.
  6. 1 2 Rindfleish, J., Consuming the self: New Age spirituality as “social product” in consumer society. Consumption, Markets and Culture, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2005, pp343-360.
  7. 1 2 Dresser, H. W., A History of the New Thought Movement, TY Crowell Co. 1919.
  8. ↑ Ho, P. Y., Li, Qi, and Shu: An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China. Dover Publications, 2000.
  9. ↑ Vimal, R. L. P., Introducing Dual-Aspect Monism (modified-Vishishtadvaita) Framework in Religion: Prana Pratistha. Vision Research Institute: Living Vision and Consciousness Research, Vol. 4, No. 3, 2011, pp1-50.
  10. ↑ i Llimona, R. E., Intuition, inspiration and prana. Contributions to science, Vols. 1-2, 2014.
  11. 1 2 The Secret, TS Production LLC. DVD Release Date: October 1, 2006. ASIN: B000K8LV1O.
  12. ↑ Byrne, R., The secret. Simon and Schuster, 2006.
  13. ↑ Atkinson, W. W., Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World. Cornerstone, 1906.
  14. ↑ Chabris, C. F., and Simon, D. J., Fight ‘The Power. New York Times, 24 September 2010.
  15. ↑ Klein, K., Self-Help Gone Nutty, Los Angeles Times, 13 February 2007.
  16. ↑ Vickery, C. (January 17, 2007), "The Secret life of Rhonda", Herald Sun
  17. ↑ Wattles, Wallace D. The Science of Getting Rich. Tarcher. 2007
  18. ↑ Ehrenreich, B., Bright-sided : how the relentless promotion of positive thinking has undermined America (1 ed.). New York: Metropolitan Books, 2009.
  19. ↑ Ehrenreich, B. (27 February 2007). "The Secret of Mass Delusion". The Huffington Post . Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  20. ↑ Stanovich, K.E. (2013). How to think straight about psychology. Toronto: Pearson Education.
  21. ↑ Stanovich, K. E. (2013). How to think straight about psychology. Toronto: Pearson Education.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Salerno, S. (2009). Positively misguided: The myths and mistakes of the Positive Thinking Movement. Skeptic, 14(4), 30-37.'
  23. ↑ Salerno, S. (2009). Positively misguided: The myths and mistakes of the Positive Thinking Movement. Skpetic, 14(4), 30-37.'
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