Visualisation is a tool that has been used for many years to help with public speaking, sports and overcoming fears.
With many variations, misconceptions and ideas about what visualisation actually is, and how to use it practically, we spoke with coach and author, and mental fitness and visualisation expert, Maya Raichoora.
Raichoora says she is on a mission to make mental fitness and visualisation just as common as physical fitness, after going through a personal experience of chronic illness at the age of 17.
“Visualisation is something that really helped me not only have hope and strengthen my mind, but it also helped me with pain during my illness,” the 27-year-old says. “It pushed me to learn more about the brain and why it can work to our advantage, rather than what most of us do – which is just leaving it to chance.”
What is visualisation?
Raichoora, who recently spoke at AllBright’s Live Well festival, explains that visualisation has been around for decades, and is the ‘intentional creation of images, environments and feelings in your head before they happen.’
“Some people confuse this with manifestation, but it’s different,” she explains. “Through my work I show that there are actually five techniques to learn and use – outcome, process, creative, negative and exploration – and I really urge people to consider it as a neurological training technique that is used by elite athletes, c-suites, executives. It is not just a ‘woo woo’ concept of thinking of something and it happens.
“This is us rewiring our brain every day to build our character, confidence and achieve our goals.”
What does each type of visualisation mean?
Raichoora breaks down the five types of visualisation. ‘Outcome’ is where you see the ideal results of something in advance. “This type really helps with motivation, belief and resilience,” she says.
“Next is ‘process’ visualisation, where you mentally rehearse a task, activity or process to make it better, faster or smarter. This could be a golf swing, public speaking, or even a hard conversation with someone.”
She explains there is also ‘creative’, when you make the intangible, tangible. “It’s used for pain and managing emotions. Let’s say for example you visualise your anxiety as a red fire, you can then use your mind to pour water on it.”
“Then you’ve got ‘negative’, which is when you see the worst case scenario, or things going wrong, but you train your mind to respond to it before it actually happens,” she explains. “Athletes use this all the time to be more prepared and have better performance.
Last but not least is ‘explorative’, which is apparently what Walt Disney and Einstein used, Raichoora explains. “This is where your brain is like a whiteboard and you use it to create, problem solve and make decisions.”
What is happening in our brains during the visualisation process?
Raichoora explains that the brain is a really interesting concept. “It struggles to know the difference between what is real and what is imagined,” she says.
“This means if you were to physically do something like play tennis, certain neurons in the brain fire up. However, if you were to just mentally rehearse playing tennis, nearly identical neurons activate – and we can really use this to our advantage.
“What’s happening here is you are taking advantage of neuroplasticity – which is the brain’s ability to change – and you are guiding it.
“Another part of this is that our brain has something called ‘mirror neurons’. This means if you are watching someone do an activity – like the athletes I work with, for example, who I get to re-watch their games or people who are better than them – your brain mirrors what you are watching and helps you to perform better.”
What are the first steps for visualising?
Although this depends on which technique each individual is trying, Raichoora says the first thing to do is have clarity.
“If you’re looking to visualise increased confidence for example, ask yourself what does being confident actually look like to you? If you aren’t clear, you’re just daydreaming. Whereas if you know confidence to you looks like saying ‘no’ more, or being braver, for example, it helps you when you’re in the visualisation
“I would also suggest moving to a quiet place, closing your eyes and start by creating the imagery you are now clear on. Then, like watching a movie, I would advise you to mentally rehearse.
“Ask questions like how does this confident version of you walk into a room? How do they talk? How do they interact with people? Then keep repeating it, maybe three to five times in one visualisation, because the brain needs repetition.”
To finish, Raichoora says a little bit of breath work and a moment of silence is perfect. “I would do this perhaps for one minute every day, because doing it only once a week for example is going to be less useful.”
To what extent can visualisation impact your life?
“I wouldn’t even be sitting here if it wasn’t for the power of visualising,” Raichoora admits. “I truly know that I have been able to rewire my brain and level up in so many ways because of it.
“I also used it for building a global company, getting better at public speaking and my confidence has gone from being performative and fake, to actually feeling confident in the inside.
“It also means that even if I have hard days, I have these tools to rely on and I’m not stuck in that state for long, whereas I used to be. I now treat my mental fitness just like my physical fitness, and I’ve gained a really big advantage in life by doing so.”
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