Research Paper: Neuro-Science Behind Visualization

Research Paper By Bala Kishore Batchu
(Life Coaching using Spiritual Principles, INDIA)

vi·su·al·ize

: to make visible: as

a : to see or form a mental image of : ENVISAGE <trying to visualize the problem>

b : to make (an internal organ or part) visible by radiographic visualization

: to form a mental visual image

Examples of VISUALIZE

She tried to visualize the scene he was describing.
Before you swing, visualize yourself hitting the ball.

Purpose of this article

Visualization is one of the powerful tools in a Coach’s arsenal to help empower the Client and motivate him / her to change for better. The mechanism through which Visualization technique works has been studied by Scientists for the past couple of decades in very good detail. The fascinating insights that they came up with as a part of their research, the ways and means by which this technique can be put to use by the Coaching fraternity are the subjects of this article.

Any study about Visualization’s workings is not possible without understanding the Brain’s structure and its functioning. The relevant basics about Brain are provided in the ‘Brain 101’ section followed by the details of the Neuro-Science behind Visualization.

References

Brain 101

Brain is the most complex organ in the human body. We learnt more about the brain in the last 25 years than what we learnt in the last 2500 years. This jelly-like mass of tissue, weighing in at around 1.4 kilograms helps us in producing our every thought, action, memory, feeling and experience and is responsible for all the achievements that we see all around us. If human body can be considered as a machine then brain is the computer that operates this machine.

Recent research in to the functioning of the brain has given rise to numerous new fields of study, Cognitive Neuro Science, Neuro Leadership, Psycho-Neuro-Immunology, Affective Neuro Science, and Social Neuro Science to name a few. The more we study about the brain the more ignorant we seem to be about the workings of this three-pound-enigma, as it is fondly referred to by the Scientists.

Different Areas of Brain and their Functions

All the different activities listed above are performed by the brain with the help of tiny cells called neurons. There are a staggering 100 billion neurons inside the brain. Each neuron is primarily made of 3 parts, Cell-body, Axon (or the long tail), and Dendrites with which they connect with other neurons. The picture a single neuron is given below.

Structure of a Neuron

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