It was around 30 years ago when I was first introduced to the idea of visualisation, and how it could be used to manifest our wants and desires. I read a newspaper article about a woman who desperately wanted to have a facelift, but was lacking the financial means – and so, every day, she pictured herself making the appointment, booking in, and going ahead with the surgery. She imagined exactly how she would look and feel, and how it would change the way she felt about herself and her life. Some weeks later, she received a letter informing her that she had a winning premium bond… and it just so happened that the amount she was going to receive was just a little short of the cost of the facelift!

Of course, I was highly impressed, and immediately set about visualising all kinds of things… and achieved absolutely nothing at all. Why? Because I didn’t go about it in the most effective way, and because I was easily distracted, and because I thought all I had to do was imagine millions, without actually believing that I had a cat in hell’s chance of attaining millions, whilst continuing to teeter on the edge of life, emotionally and financially speaking. And soon, I forgot all about this miracle cure for life’s lack, and gradually dug myself deeper and deeper into the quagmire.

Fast forward in time to a couple of months ago, when I realised that something I really wanted, and had been consistently imagining, picturing and affirming in my mind, for quite some time, had actually come to pass. There was no fanfare of trumpets, or choirs of angels singing; there were no fireworks, or big announcements – just one single AHA moment! I have to admit to being a bit shaken, and going through what I call a ‘wobble’, and my initial reaction was one of resistance (a fear based reaction)… but I quickly recognised that I really needed to accept the manifestation of my own request calmly, with gratitude and pleasure, and without a huge song and dance about whether or not I deserved it. And it got me thinking about all of the other times that something I had ‘thought’ about had somehow shown up in my life, a bit further down the line; things that could possibly have been the work of mere coincidence… or maybe not.

Suffice to say, I could write an entire tome on the subject of visualisation, and still not adequately cover it. So, today, I am only going to attempt to explain some of how it works, and offer up a few insights!

To visualise means to create images within the mind, but in order to be really effective, there also needs to be some kind of emotional connection. I can picture anything I choose, but if I am not ‘feeling’ it, it will have very little impact upon my brain, or my subconscious mind. I have heard it said, many times, that the brain cannot differentiate between imagination and reality, and I do believe that this is true – when the images and words we are presenting are consistently repeated, and are highly emotionally charged. 

For example, some years ago, friends of mine had a motorbike accident, and as a result, both required surgery. The physical injuries were serious but not life threatening, and they received the medical care and physiotherapy they needed… for the healing of their bodies. However, time passed by without their emotional needs being addressed, and I noticed that she, in particular, was continuing to replay the accident over and over again, repeatedly saying, “but we had an accident”, as if it had occurred only days earlier… and so, as far as her brain was concerned, it HAD: the images, sounds and smells were accepted as current, which kept the pain and anxiety fresh and alive. No-one could blame her. We all have different pain thresholds, and let’s face it, most of us are likely to subject ourselves to this kind of ‘programming’ at some point throughout our lives. However, the interesting observation here is that the accident itself had  taken only seconds to occur, and was now just a still frame imprinted on the face of time… and even the memory itself, in its own right, had no actual lifeforce: it was the emotions, strongly attached to the memory, and repeatedly revisited, that gave the experience the power to remain alive.

Now, I am not saying that my friend was going to attract further motorbike accidents into her life, because she was so strongly focusing her attention on the subject; as far as I know, she has not ridden on a bike since, and is unlikely to do so in the future. What I am talking about is the power of emotion, when strongly connected to the images, and dialogue, that we consistently present to our brain. Just IMAGINE how we could harness this for our own, and other people’s, greater good, rather then for keeping the painful past alive and kicking! But it requires a certain kind of understanding, as well as awareness, persistence, patience, and faith. Or, possibly, a genuinely joyful, childlike, simplistic and trusting relationship with the process of life (and I imagine that very few of us fall into that category!). The good news is, is that it is something we can all become adept at, and even if we aren’t always immediately successful, we will still gain far more than we lose. If we can programme our brain and our subconscious mind to believe that a past, painful event is still current, surely we can also convince them that a useful/productive/exciting occurrence, that hasn’t yet physically manifested, is also ‘real’? However it works, when an idea, that has consistently been positively emotionally charged, is accepted by our inner world, then things start to shift in the outer world, nudging and shaping circumstance until it develops into the required form.    

Another friend of mine recently wanted to encourage someone to fulfil a promise they had made, many months previously, but didn’t want to hassle them. She likes them, and understands that they are incredibly busy, and so decided to see if visualisation could help her. She imagined the outcome she wanted, in detail, and also pictured the person in question contacting her, informing her that they were now ready to go ahead. She did this with a smile on her face, and with gratitude, rather than impatience and a sense of entitlement, repeating the process several times, over a number of days… and out of the blue, she received a communication, stating that the person was now ready to get on with things! Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not… we’ll never know for sure. But at least my friend was operating from a healthy, positive place, which can only enhance her own energy field, rather than deplete it! 

I believe that the most important thing to remember is that, first of all, everything must exist energetically, before it can manifest physically. I am not saying this because I have read it in a hundred self-help books, or heard it from the most popular Youtube videos: I don’t ever repeat or teach anything that doesn’t make sense to me, that I haven’t tried and tested for myself – or, at the very least, know for sure has been tried and tested by credible individuals. Everything that exists, that has anything to do with human beings, started life as a thought, a desire, an idea… good, bad or indifferent. The more emotional energy we apply to that thought/desire, the more it begins to take shape and form, in the dimension of the non-physical. However, many, many ideas die a death there, long before they have had the chance to manifest in the physical world, and for various reasons, including:

a lack-lustre approach

inconsistency

doubt

following up positive visualisation/verbal affirmation with negative thoughts and statements

bearing grudges, and harbouring feelings of resentment, towards those who already have what we desire.

So, what is it that you would really like to manifest in your life, through the art of visualisation, accompanied by verbal affirmation? Don’t just say love, money, success, happiness, or peace of mind; your subconscious mind requires more specific detail. Vague statements are not highly emotionally charged, and will not create a deep enough imprint; also, they lack real desire, passion or need.

And it is important to ask if what you wish to manifest is actually even possible? I could spend forever visualising myself as a Formula 1 driver, competing on the grid alongside the likes of Lewis Hamilton… but it ain’t ever going to happen, and for very specific reasons! I could, possibly, find myself sitting in an F1 car, and also meeting some of the drivers, courtesy of a VIP pass, but that isn’t the same thing as lining up on the grid, somewhere in the world, on a Sunday, as a competitor! 

You, yourself, may, for example, want to bring your ex back into your life, without having resolved the issues that caused you to be exes in the first place, and despite the fact that he/she has moved on, or isn’t interested, or is game playing. You are very unlikely to be able to make that happen, BUT, what you can do, is to visualise and physically manifest a relationship that is genuinely loving and caring, with someone who wants to be with you. It might take a little time. Things have to be aligned, in the right order, and in the right place, but you can prove your commitment to the process by not becoming chewed up, impatient and demanding. And by being open to the idea that sometimes the pathway that leads to the manifestation we desire is not necessarily the one we believe it should be. I look at it this way: when something that I really want finally shows up, who am I to argue with the great, creative force of life, about the way in which it was delivered? Money and opportunity have come to me from sources other than those which I believed were my only option (and none of them illegal!). 

So, make it conscious, keep it clear, keep it clean… and keep it consistent. Oh, and acknowledge every little bonus that comes your way. Recently, a face to face customer, who works in a bakery, brought me a box of cakes, and also gave me an additional £5, when paying. I was incredibly grateful and appreciative, and embraced the abundance! This evening, after kickboxing class, my eldest daughter and I called in to a local supermarket… and one of the assistants asked us if we were interested in a selection of sandwiches, bread and cakes, at a reduced price? There was a trolley full of good stuff, marked down to 20p per item. Absolute abundance! Okay, I hadn’t asked for cut price food, but still, it was made available to me, and I took a number of items home for my youngest daughter… who told me that she had been hoping that mum might bring some snacks in for her and her boyfriend, as it was cold and dark outside, cascading down with rain, and not the weather to go out to the shop. She was incredibly grateful, especially as she was a little skint, and also trying to cope with something that had caused her to feel incredibly sad. SHE had asked for some comforting treats, and they had been supplied! We cannot afford to allow these little helping hands to go unacknowledged, but neither can we restrict ourselves to them! If we become accustomed to recognising, accepting and appreciating the positive flow of small gifts, then we have to believe that we can also manifest the big stuff! Of course, some desires take shape and form more quickly and easily than others… but if they are important to us, and are part of our greater plan, then they really have to be worth working on, and waiting for!