The following is my paper about the strengths and limitations of the technique of visualization.
Strengths
First, regarding the positive effect of the technique of visualization in spiritual psychotherapy, in various religions in the world, a large number of spiritual techniques are based upon the use of the power of our visualization ability. For example, shamanic healing techniques, Kabbalah in Judaism, Gnostic traditions in Christianity, Sufism in Islam, Tantric yoga in Hindu, and the meditation of visualization in Tibetan Buddhism (Sheikh, A, Kunzendorf, and Sheikh,K. 2003). As those examples demonstrate, the technique of visualization has a long history and stems from various ancient wisdoms.
The common purpose of this technique in various religions is transcendence of human ego and human transformation. To attain this purpose, practitioners try to look into their inner world eagerly by visualizing sacred symbols, images and so on. Through the practice of this technique, paradoxically, the “concentration on experience can lead one to liberation from the constraints of that experience” (Greenleaf, 1978, p. 182). Moreover, from the perspective of psychosynthesis, the technique of visualization can lead to the realization that we are disidentified with our experiences. In regard to the disidentification of our experiences, Firman and Gila (2002) remark that we can obtain freedom by being aware of that we are not our emotions, feelings, and thoughts, in a word, by disidentifying from our experiences. As a result, the key implication of this technique is that we objectify our various experiences and then we notice that “I” is not those experiences but just the experiencer (Firman and Gila, 2002).
The technique of visualization is useful to transcend our ego and transform ourselves. That is why this technique is used as an important spiritual practice and the center of practices in various world religions.
Second, in regard to the positive effects of the technique of visualization in the sports world, there are many positive results of the research about this technique. In fact, the story that a lot of superstars in the sports world, for example, Michael Jordan who was a basketball superstar and Jack Nicklaus, who was a most famous golf player used the technique of visualization, is well known.
The following experiment about a golf practice was conducted at Olympic Training Center in Colorado. The first group was told to visualize the entire process from tapping a ball to sinking a putt. The second group was guided to imagine failing a putt. The last group was instructed to only practice a putter with no visualization. After one week, although the players in the last group practicing just physically without using the technique of visualization enhanced their putting ability by 11 percent, the first group improved their success probability of a putt by 30 percent. On the other hand, the players in the second group who visualize a negative image lowered their putting ability by 21 percent (Baum, 1999).
Moreover, the research about the technique of visualization at Stanford University reported that three-dimensional visualized pictures had a strong impact on our physiological responses (Baum, 1999). This research indicates that our mind is highly connected to our body and then our mind has an effect on our body positively or negatively. As a result, the technique of visualization helps to improve our physical ability by imagining positive pictures in our mind.
Third, the technique of visualization has a positive effect not only in the field of spiritual psychotherapy and sports, but also in the medical field. As Chiaramonte (1997) states that “Imagery and relaxation techniques have also been utilized within primary medical care settings in the treatment of medical conditions that are associated with stress, such as chronic pain, headaches, hypertension, and the emotional aspects of cancer” (as cited in Hall, 2003, p. 408).
The effect in the treatment of cancer is very remarkable and in fact, there are a lot of cases that patients of cancer cured their disease by using the technique of visualization. For instance, Carl Simonton, who is a radiation oncologist, and Stephanie Matthew-Simonton, who is a psychotherapist, introduced a total treatment program of cancer which included the technique of visualization, a regular cancer medication, and psychotherapy to explore the emotional factors about the disease. The Simontons conducted this program for a patient who suffered from a throat cancer in 1971. The patient’s physical condition was so bad and his weight was reduced from 130 to 98 pounds. In addition to that, he was told to have only five years left to live. The treatment program of cancer using the technique of visualization was conducted for him three times a day. Firstly, he was guided to concentrate on his each part of his body from head to toe, and to relax all his body. Next, he imagined that he was in a comfortable place like in his house, or in beautiful green forests or wonderful sea. Then, he visualized the cancer in his body vividly and imagined that his all cells were activated energetically against his cancer by using a radiation treatment. Lastly, he visualized vividly that his cancer tumors were weakened and decreased. As a result of this program, his cancer disappeared gradually and he began to recharge himself little by little. Moreover, due to this visualization treatment, he didn’t suffer from negative side effects of the radiation treatment so much. After two months of this program, he cured his cancer completely (Hall, 2003).
As a matter of course, not all diseases are healed by using only the technique of visualization, but the remarkable effect of this technique is proven scientifically.
Reference:
3 Psychosynthesis: A Psychology of the Spirit (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)
