h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Do any of you have any experience with creative visualization? I bought several books on this subject a couple of years ago but have never read them. (I stuck them in a closet. Out of sight, out of mind. ) Anyway, my interest has been revived by a conversation with a friend. I have decided to give them a read and see if I can develope some visualization exercises.

The first thing I read said that we need to learn to protect ourselves from psychic attack and that we can do that through visualization. Which makes me wonder if similar techniques are used by healers.

Are any of you interested in forming a group to test out the visualization theories? We could develop an image to visualize and then concentrate on it at the same time. It probably wouldn't be as effective as if we were all physiclly in the same place, but it might be interesting. We would have to select something that is actually able to be influenced.

I'd be interested!

But - uh - how is 'creative visualization' different from every-day visualization?

I mean... if you talk to someone on the phone, you create an image of the person (that often proves to be wrong if you ever get to meet that person in question, but still)

If you read a book, you visualize the characters (which is why watching a movie after reading the book is mostly a bad idea, since they got the casting wrong!)

Not to mention the virtual adventures going on at h2g2...

Ti, what I'm talking about is trying to create an outcome that you desire. Here's an example. Say you live in a place where there is a drought. You would create the image of rain hoping that the rain would actually come. Or a person with a medical problem would visualize herself well and without the illness. Prayer groups actually do seem able to help people heal, which makes me wonder if the visualization process works in a similar way.

People who are very positive all of the time seem to have more good things happen to them than people who are negative and pessimistic. So there is the other side of the coin. If we imagine the worst all the time and are always afraid of something bad happening, then we may be attracting the things we don't want.

Create an outcome that I desire?

Can't help feeling a bit dubious about that - I'm an incurable optimist who firmly believes that things will work out - but not necessarily the way you thought...

...which is true (in my case) in 95% - things *do* work out but almost *never* the way I planned/wanted it to do to begin with!

Which is why I've more or less given up on planning my life - what will be, will be, and if a chance appears, I grab it (which is how I ended up as a financial controller without ever having studied economics at university level)

I don't think it would work, but would be interested to see how the experiment pans out. I read an article in New Scientist recently that talked about paranormal experiments. They spoke of a phenonomon where the experiments had more positive results if a believer was conducting them, and if a non-believer was involved the results were less positive.

I would only be interested in trying to sending a companions positive energy. Calm, peace or for focusing energy, something along those lines would be ok with me. I would not want to try and change or influence a particular outcome or event.

I am familiar with visualization for healing exercises. I do not mean curing but healing. That is another whole topic though

If you are going to make a change in life visualization is useful in imaging yourself going hrough the steps or for getting solutions. It is for yourself not about affecting others. For me it is about focusing within yourself not power over others or events.

Now that I read your first post again I see you are talking about something different.

Well, I still haven't gotten around to reading the books. But I did get them out of the closet. So I'm definitely making progress.

Abbi, I'm interested in putting these theories to the test. So, doing something like visualizing myself calm and serene isn't what I have in mind. The only thing I have ever done along these lines involves my plants. They grow better when I concentrate on them than when I don't. I know that sounds silly, but it's the case. It's a transfer of energy somehow.

No, I want to set up an experiment where a group of people all visualize an outcome. Something that we can look at and say it worked or it didn't work.

Is there anyone out there who has participated in something like this?

And I want it to be something that can be shown to demonstrate the power of he mind - not the power of faith. We've discussed faith healing at the Atelier. Some of us believe that prayer can heal or speed healing. Is creative visualization another form of prayer?

I'm curious if those who participate in prayer circles try to visualize an outcome or if they don't? And would it be effective if the participants were using different images of health or wellness or whatever? Do they discuss ahead of time an image to concentrate on?

One book I want to read is The Isaiah Effect by Gregg Braden. I started it when F was in the hospital after his heart valve replacement. I think it was the book that had the story about the Hopi shaman who went into the desert to do a rain dance. The thing is that the Hopi didn't pray ~for~ rain. He ~prayed rain~. He imagined the ground already saturated with water. He imagined the feel of the mud on his feet, the feel of the water on his body, the smell of the rain.

It was an interesting book, but I was under so much stress when I read it that I didn't do it justice. Some of it seemed pretty unlikely, to tell you the truth. But then faith healing seems pretty unlikely, too. And I know that it happened - at least once.

Hi abbi very rarely do our paths cross,nice to see you..

allright, I'm visualizing you reading those books. You've got them out of the closet, and you've got one open. You're sitting in a chair, reading the book.

Is it working?

How about this. At a pre-arranged time, one of us will start rolling a six sided die. The rest of us will visualize the die coming up with a "6". The roller will keep track of how many "6"s are rolled. Then, at a later time, when everyone is going about their regular business, the roller will repeat the experiment (to make sure the die is fair, and if it isn't, to have a comparison).

What'd ya think?

I've been using visualisation techniques for a while - both personally and in my profession.

One that's worth trying is the car-parking place one - this has worked successfully for me on a number of occasions.

I also visualise a virus busting scenario if I think I'm in for a bad cold.

I have journal entries on my PS from about a year ago on both of the above.

The power of the human mind is awesome.

*Arrives with a nice big square cushy pillow, places it on the floor and sits on it.*

I'm up for this. How about we visualize the shrub out of the Oval Office? Or should we start with something smaller?

I visualized my mentors Brain tumor being destroyed. It seemed to work at first, but really didn't
He's still alive though

Hello,
I wandered into this conversation in error and I am fascinated by it. I have no doubt that we humans do not use our natural powers to the fullest extent and I firmly believe that visualisation will work if we have enough belief in what we are doing, cast aside any doubts and concentrate and the possibilities are enourmous. I have a special place in my garden where I sit and meditate, while doing so I visualise my wife as a healthy pain free woman and after serious illness she has astounded her surgeon with her recovery rate. I am sure that my concentrated thoughts have helped her recovery. I am not sure that this is the way for the U.S.of A to get rid of the'plant' in The White House. I think the inate common sense of your people will see to that come the election!

Kifperran, you have more faith in the American electorate than I have. We elected him in the first place, remember? And Ronald Reagan....twice!

Thanks for stopping by. We need some people with actual experience with visualization. Do you have others visualizing your wife well? I've always wondered how effective one person could be as compared to a group.

Dave, the idea of using dice is actually a good one. To start out we will need something fairly simple. But I wonder if rolling dice can be affected by mental concentration. Isn't it totally random? Would an ESP type of thing - cards with symbols, maybe - be more open to influence?

There was a program on the Discovery Channel about a machine that had a series of lights that would light up randomly. One experiment was to try to influence the machine to produce a certain pattern of lights more often than the statistical probablilty. It actually worked, if I remember correctly. Which is really bizarre.


Ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooo.

the lights idea is the same as the dice, and related to affecting the weather, I think. Yes, the dice are random, but I think we're trying to affect the physical world by our mental concentration and visualizations. If we can affect non-random processes, why can't we also affect random processes? Isn't there randomness, to some extent in everything?

I'm imagining the dice as a starting point.

I think I am still confused by what you actually want to do.
It is probably all me! I thought I had it , then thought not, then did....


It might help me understand if I knew exactly what you wanted to do
Effect or Affect?
I am not not sure if that is even a proper way to put it.

You want to reach outside and exert power over somebody or something?
**************
I believe by going within yourself can touch similar areas in another person and compliment an effect, emotion or thought. You can possibly help pursuade or sort things out with a person experiencing mixed emotions.

I do not believe *you* affect the outcome or change physics or a persons mind completely.

I think because we have electrical signals in our bodies we can affect or be affected by magnetic and electrical fields to a certain degree, some people much more than others.

I think changing another persons mind is more likely done by example. Just hearing your own voice whether outloud or not can change your own. An attitude , good or bad can be contagious.

I believe I have affected my own health through visualizations and done a certain amount of healing. I believe I can clear my thoughts and become more creative by visualization and build faith in self.

I can picture a "wound" if I am unable to sort how I feel about something painful. That sort of tool can be developed.
I do think people can affect others through dreams during especially intense times. I am not sure you can direct it.
*rambles*
Please explain more specifics if you choose.
I'll stay tuned in any case

I swear those last two posts were not there when I started and I know I have not sat here for 2 days!

*waves*
Thanks logicus tracticus philosophicus l.0.O.N:F.F.F
I seem to be in a time warpmaybe that is why you have not seen me

I used to read a lot of books about creative visualization and really be into it, but don't really believe in it anymore. (So I will lurk)

JEllen

Interesting,time warm of sorts,circadium rythms ,slightly different,more like.

But might listening to yourself,funny how thoughts dont have all the traits of spoken speech,(no echo resonence,accent),seems to be more affirmational, in actions than dirrectional.

Long distent thought sending,(possitive/negative) is it better to concetrate possitive thoughts for the sufferer ,or negative thoughts
for the protaganist,
That is the first question that needs to be asked before attempting
to cure a tumour related illness ,perhaps in cases where it has worked
its the negative emotions that have killed the tumour rather than,cured the person with positive thoughts.

As with most of life a choice has to be made,perhaps another thing that could be attempted is for one researcher to every night before they go to sleep thing of a book,or line from a book,and again when they first get up, at the end of the month at a prearranged time,all the researchers post what they think.