Envisioning
The name InVision Therapy is derived from the power of envisioning, our goal of helping you step INto and make your VISION a reality, and all of the analogous ways that vision and seeing represent the services we provide.
What Is Envisioning?
Envisioning is using internal vision, seeing or constructing within your mind. Envisioning creates an experience which engages and influences your mind, body, emotions, and behavior.
Have you ever smiled just thinking about an experience you’ve had? Or maybe, on a frigid January day as the snow falls in Minnesota, you envision a warm, quiet seat by the beautiful blue-green ocean with the sun beaming down on your face, and peace washes over your entire body.
How come your body responds with a smile and sense of peace to something which is not currently occurring?
The short and simplified answer is:
ENVISIONING IS POWERFUL and your MIND AND BODY ARE CONNECTED.
The Science Of Envisioning
Our words, thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and physical responses are interconnected — all of these areas are impacted when one is changed. The physical response from the body is in the present. However, the human mind has the ability to think outside of the just the present to the past or the future as well.
This is why when we envision being someplace warm and relaxing, even though our thoughts are in the future, our body responds by releasing endorphins and hormones and we feel happiness in the present. Ultimately, visualizing cues that present moment physical response and reaps the impacts of the hormone and endorphin release.
Because of this interconnectivity and how our responses occur, envisioning:
provides us opportunity for practicing or rehearsing responses
creates a well worn pathway in the brain making our response easier, quicker, and a preferred point to access later
allows adjustments to be made mentally prior to putting them into place when the event is actually occurring
impacts how we feel about the event.
This is true for situations connected to any emotion, which means there are both benefits and costs with envisioning.
The Benefits Of Envisioning
Successful athletes are exceptional at envisioning the details of their behavior. In their mind, they replay specific moments of their actions many times before their “game-day” event. They use this strategy as part of their training because they understand the research: people who practice visualization find significantly greater levels of success than those who do not.
Research also reveals that visualization can: