Creative visualization: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Purposeful visualisation for neuropsychological, physiological or social effects}}

{{Other uses}}

{{about||use in the context of New Age beliefs|Creative visualization (New Age)|use of models or images in design processes|Creative visualization (design)}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{MedicalMore medical citations needed|date=December 2015}}

{{Excessive citations|date=October 2018}}

}}

{{New Thought beliefs}}

'''Creative visualization''' is the [[Cognition|cognitive]] process of [[Intention|purposefully]] generating visual [[mental image]]ry, with eyes open or closed,<ref>Isaac, A. R., and Marks, D. F. (1994). Individual differences in mental imagery experience: Developmental changes and specialization. British Journal of Psychology, Vol. 85, 1994, pp479–500.</ref><ref>McKelvie, S. J. (1995). The VVIQ as a psychometric test of individual differences in visual imagery vividness: A critical quantitative review and plea for direction. Journal of Mental Imagery, Vol. 19, Nos. 3-4,1995, pp1–106.</ref> simulating or recreating [[visual perception]],<ref>McAvinue, L. P., and Robertson, I. H., Measuring visual imagery ability: A review. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2007, pp191–211.</ref><ref>Cocude, M., and Denis, M., Measuring the temporal characteristics of visual images. Journal of Mental Imagery, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1988, pp89–101.</ref> in order to maintain, inspect, and transform those images,<ref>

*Kosslyn, S. M., Image and mind. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1980.

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==The mind's eye==

The notionidea of a "mind's eye" goes back at least to [[Cicero]]'s reference to '''''mentis oculi''''' during his discussion of the orator's appropriate use of [[simile]].<ref>[{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=XCU9AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA535#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Cicero, ''De Oratore'', Liber III: XLI: 163.] |access-date=2023-03-13 |archive-date=2022-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206153025/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=XCU9AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA535 |url-status=live |last1=Cicero |first1=Marcus Tullius |date=1840 }}</ref>

In this discussion, Cicero observedsaid that allusions[[allusion]]s to "the [[Gulf of Gabès|Syrtis]] of his patrimony" and "the [[Charybdis]] of his possessions" involved similes that were "too far-fetched"; and he advised the orator to, instead, just speak of "the rock" and "the gulf" (respectively) — on the grounds that, "The eyes of the mind are more easily directed to those objects which we have seen, than to those which we have only heard."<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/ciceroonoratorya00ciceuoft#page/239/mode/1upWatson, J.S. (trans. and ed.), ''Cicero on Oratory and Orators'', Harper & Brothers, (New York), 1875: Book III, C.XLI, p.239.]</ref>

The concept of "the mind's eye" first appeared in English in [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer's]] (c.{{circa|1387}}) [[The Man of Law's Prologue and Tale|Man of Law's Tale]] in his [[The Canterbury Tales|Canterbury Tales]], where he tells us that one of the three men dwelling in a castle was blind, and could only see with "the eyes of his mind"—namely, those eyes "with which all men see after they have become blind.".<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/canterburyprol00chauuoft#page/78/mode/1up ''The Man of Laws Tale'', lines 550-553.]</ref>

==Visual and non-visual mental imagery==

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*McAvinue, L. P., and Robertson, I. H., Measuring motor imagery ability: A review. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2008, pp232–251.</ref> and [[Haptic perception|haptic imagery]] of [[Somatosensory system|touch]], incorporating [[Surface finish|texture]], [[temperature]], and [[pressure]].<ref>Miquée, A., Xerri, C., Rainville, C., Anton, J. L., Nazarian, B., Roth, M., and Zennou-Azogui, Y., Neuronal substrates of haptic shape encoding and matching: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Neuroscience, Vol. 152, No. 1,2008, pp29-39.</ref><ref>Juttner, M., and Rentschler, I., Imagery in multi-modal object learning. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2002, pp197–198.</ref>

Notwithstanding the ability to generate mental images across sensory modalities,<ref>Kosslyn, S. M., Ganis, G., and Thompson, W. L., Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Vol. 2, No. 9, 2001, pp635–642.</ref><ref>Pearson, D. G., Mental imagery and creative thought. Proceedings of the British Academy, Vol. 147, 2007, pp187–212.</ref> the term "creative visualization" signifies the process by which a person generates and processes visual [[mental imagery]] specifically.

However, creative visualization is closely related to, and is often considered as one part of, [[guided imagery]]. In guided imagery, a trained practitioner or teacher helps a participant or patient to evoke and generate mental images<ref>Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What's In a Name? US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. National Institutes of Health. NIH Publication No. D347. [https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Online Version.] Retrieved 31 July 2015.</ref> that simulate or re-create the sensory perception<ref>Kosslyn S. M., Ganis G., and Thompson W. L., Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Vol. 2, No. 9, 2001, pp635–642.</ref> of sights,<ref>McAvinue, L. P., and Robertson, I. H., Measuring visual imagery ability: A review. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2007, pp191–211.</ref><ref>Cocude, M., and Denis, M., Measuring the temporal characteristics of visual images. Journal of Mental Imagery, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1988, pp89–101.</ref> sounds,<ref>Zatorre, R. J., Halpern, A. R., and Bouffard, M., Mental reversal of imagined melodies: A role for the posterior parietal cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Vol. 22, No. 4, 2010, pp775-789.</ref> [[taste]]s,<ref>Tiggemann, M., and Kemps, E., The phenomenology of food cravings: The role of mental imagery. Appetite, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2005, pp305–313.</ref> smells,<ref>Stevenson, R. J., and Case, T. I., Olfactory imagery: A review. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2005, pp244–264.</ref> [[Animal locomotion|movements]],<ref>McAvinue, L. P., and Robertson, I. H., Measuring motor imagery ability: A review. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2008, pp232–251.</ref> and touch,<ref>Juttner, M., and Rentschler, I., Imagery in multi-modal object learning. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2002, pp197–198.</ref> as well as [[Imagination|imaginative]] or [[Mind|mental]] content that the participating subject experiences as defying conventional sensory categories.<ref>Banissy, M. J., Walsh, V., and Ward, J., Enhanced sensory perception in synesthesia. Experimental Brain Research, Vol. 196, No. 4, 2009, pp565–571.</ref>

Nonetheless, visual and auditory mental images are reported as being the most frequently experienced by people ordinarily, in [[Scientific control#Controlled experiments|controlled experiments]], and when participating in guided imagery,<ref>Betts, G. H., The distribution and functions of mental imagery. New York: Columbia University, 1909.</ref><ref>Tiggemann, M., and Kemps, E., The phenomenology of food cravings: The role of mental imagery. Appetite, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2005, pp305–313.</ref> with visual images remaining the most extensively [[research]]ed and documented in [[Scientific method|scientific]] literature.<ref>Kosslyn, S. M., Thompson, W. L., and Ganis, G., The case for mental imagery. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.</ref><ref>Pearson, D. G., De Beni, R., and Cornoldi, C., The generation and transformation of visuo-spatial mental images. In M. Denis, R. H. Logie, C. Cornoldi, M. de Vega, and J. Engelkamp (Eds.), Imagery, language and visuo-spatial thinking. Hove: Psychology Press, 2001, pp1-23.</ref><ref>Logie, R. H., Visuo-spatial working memory Hove. UK: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995.</ref>

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*Slotnick, S. D., Thompson, W. L., and Kosslyn, S. M., Visual memory and visual mental imagery recruit common control and sensory regions of the brain. Cognitive Neuroscience, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2012, pp14–20.</ref>

'''Stage 1''' is "Image''image Generation".generation'', Thiswhich involves generating mental imagery, from [[memory]], from [[Fantasy (psychology)|fantasy]], or a combination of both.<ref>

*Pearson, D. G., Mental imagery and creative thought. Proceedings of the British Academy, Vol. 147, 2007, pp187–212.

*Kosslyn, S. M., Image and brain: The resolution of the imagery debate. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1994.

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*Gardini, S., Cornoldi, C., De Beni, R., and Venneri, A., Cognitive and neuronal processes involved in sequential generation of general and specific mental images. Psychological Research-Psychologische Forschung, Vol. 73, No. 5, 2009, pp633–643.

*Farah, M. J. (1988). Is visual imagery really visual? Overlooked evidence from neuro- psychology. Psychological Review, Vol. 95, No. 3, 1988, pp307–317.

*Li, J., Tang, Y. -Y., Zhou, L., Yu, Q. -B., Li, S., and Sui, D. -N., EEG dynamics reflectsreflects the partial and holistic effects in mental imagery generation. Journal of Zhejiang University-Science, Vol. 11, No. 12, 2010, pp944–951.

*Hitch, G. J., Brandimonte, M. A., and Walker, P., Two types of representation in vi- sual memory—Evidence from the effects of stimulus contrast on image combination. Memory and Cognition, Vol. 23, No. 2, 1995, pp147–154.

*Pearson, D. G. (2007). Mental imagery and creative thought. Proceedings of the British Academy, Vol. 147, 2007, pp187–212.

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*Cornoldi, C., De Beni, R., Guisberti, F., and Massironi, M. (1998). Memory and imagery: A visual trace is not a mental image. In M. Conway, S. Gathercole, and C. Cornoldi (Eds.), Theories of memory. Hove, UK: Psychology Press, pp87-110.</ref>

'''Stage 2''' is "Image Maintenance". This involves''image themaintenance''—the intentional sustaining or maintaining of imagery, without which a mental image is subject to rapid [[Decay theory|decay]], and does not remain for sufficient duration to proceed to the next stages.<ref>Kosslyn, S. M., Image and brain: The resolution of the imagery debate. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1994.</ref>

'''Stage 3''' is "Image''image Inspection"inspection''. In this stage, once generated and maintained, a mental image is inspected and explored, elaborated in detail, and interpreted in relation to the participant.<ref>Kosslyn, S. M., Ganis, G., and Thompson, W. L. (2001). Neural foundations of imagery.Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Vol. 2, No. 9, pp635–642.</ref> This often involves a scanning process, by which the participant directs attention across and around an image, simulating shifts in perceptual [[Point of view (philosophy)|perspective]].<ref>

*Kosslyn, S. M., Image and brain: The resolution of the imagery debate. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press., 1994.

*Kosslyn, S. M., Thompson, W. L., and Ganis, G., The case for mental imagery. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.

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*Pylyshyn, Z. W., The imagery debate. Analog media versus tacit knowledge. Psychological Review, Vol. 88, No. 1, 1981, pp16–45.</ref>

'''Stage 4''' is "Image''image Transformation".transformation'', Inin this stage,which the participant transforms, modifies, or alters the content of generated mental imagery, in such a way as tointo substitute images that provoke negative feelings, are indicative ofindicate [[suffering]], and exacerbate psychological pain, orpain—or that reaffirm disability or debilitation, for those that elicit positive emotion, and are suggestive of autonomy, ability to cope, and an increased degree of mental [[aptitude]] and [[Human body|physical]] ability.<ref>

*Pearson, D. G., De Beni, R., and Cornoldi, C., The generation and transformation of visuo-spatial mental images. In M. Denis, R. H. Logie, C. Cornoldi, M. de Vega, and J. Engelkamp (Eds.), Imagery, language and visuo-spatial thinking, pp1–23. Hove: Psychology Press, 2001.

*Shepard, R. N., and Cooper, L. A., Mental images and their transformations. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982.

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==Absorption and attention==

For the participant to benefit from this staged process of creative visualization, he or she must be capable of or susceptible to [[Absorption (psychology)|absorption]], which is an "...openness to absorbing and self-altering experiences"."<ref>Tellegen, A., and Atkinson, G., Openness to absorbing and self-altering experiences (absorption), a trait related to hypnotic susceptibility. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 83, No. 3, 1974, pp268–277.</ref><ref>Tellegen, A., A brief manual for the differential personality questionnaire. Minneapolis: Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 1982.</ref>

Furthermore, the process of processing visual images places demands upon cognitive attentional resources, including [[working memory]].<ref>Bexton, W. H., Heron, W., and Scott, T. H., Effects of decreased variation in the sensory environment. Canadian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1954, pp70–76.</ref><ref>Engelhard, I. M., van den Hout, M. A., and Smeets, M. A. M., Taxing working memory reduces vividness and emotional intensity of images about the Queen's Day tragedy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2011, pp32–37.</ref>

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Consequently, in clinical practice, creative visualization is often provided as part of a multi-modal strategy that integrates other [[Mind–body interventions|interventions]], most commonly [[guided meditation]] or some form of [[Meditation|meditative praxis]], relaxation techniques, and [[meditation music]] or [[Music therapy|receptive music therapy]], because those methods can increase the participant's or patient's capacity for or susceptibility to absorption, enhance control of attention, and replenish requisite cognitive resources, thereby increasing the potential efficacy of creative visualization.<ref>Bond, K., Ospina, M. B., Hooton, N., Bialy, L., Dryden, D. M., Buscemi, N., Shannahoff-Khalsa, D., Dusek, J., and Carlson, L. E., 'Defining a complex intervention: The development of demarcation criteria for "meditation"'. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Vol. 1, No. 2, May 2009, pp129–137.</ref><ref>Shapiro, D. H. Jnr., 'Overview: Clinical and physiological comparison of meditation with other self-control strategies'. In Shapiro, D.H Jnr. and Walsh, R.N. (Eds.) Meditation: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives. Piscataway, New Jersey: Aldine Transaction, 1984, pp5-12.</ref>

Individuals with [[ADHD]] often exhibit a greater creative potential, and an increased ability to produce and visualize unique verbal and nonverbal ideas.<ref>Peterson DJ, Ryan M, Rimrodt SL, Cutting LE, Denckla MB, Kaufmann WE, Mahone EM. Increased regional fractional anisotropy in highly screened attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). J Child Neurol. 2011 Oct; 26(10):1296-302.</ref> However, they also show a weaker ability to generate creative solutions when given restrictive criteria, such as procedure, practicality, and time. This weakness is due to [[Rigidity (psychology)|cognitive rigidity]],<ref>Scime, M. and Norvilitis, J. M. (2006), Task performance and response to frustration in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychol. Schs., 43: 377–386. doi:10.1002/pits.20151</ref> which frequently [[Comorbidity|co-morbid]] with ADHD. The weaknesses in attention, focus, and motivation are exacerbated by frustration from rigidity, making creative conceptualization substantially harder when guidelines are given.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Capilla Gonzalez|first1=A.|last2=Etchepareborda MC|last3=Fernandez Gonzalez|first3=S.|last4=Mulas|first4=F.|last5=Campo|first5=P.|last6=Maestu|first6=F.|last7=Lucas Fernandez|first7=A.|last8=Ortiz|first8=T.|title=The neurofunctional foundation of cognitive rigidity in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: some preliminary findings|journal=Revista de NeurologiaNeurología|volume=38 Suppl 1|pages=S145–8|date=1 February 2004|pmidissue=15011169Suppl 1 |urlpmid=http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/15011169|accessdate=29 November 2017|language=Spanish}}</ref> However, increased [[mind-wandering]], [[lateral thinking]], and persistence from ADHD allows for more [[Thinking outside the box|out of the box thinking]]. As a result, while affected individuals are able to visualize more creative and original abstractions,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Palmiero|first1=M|last2=Nori|first2=R|last3=Aloisi|first3=V|last4=Ferrara|first4=M|last5=Piccardi|first5=L|title=Domain-Specificity of Creativity: A Study on the Relationship Between Visual Creativity and Visual Mental Imagery.|journal=Frontiers in Psychology|date=1 December 2015|volume=6|page=1870|doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01870|pmid=26648904|pmc=4664616|doi-access=free}}</ref> they fall short on creating and finalizing ideas when given specific criteria.<ref>Carson, S. H., Peterson, J. B., & Higgins, D. M. (2003). Decreased Latent Inhibition Is Associated with Increased Creative Achievement in High-Functioning Individuals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 499-606.</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Abraham|first1=Anna|last2=Windmann|first2=Sabine|last3=Siefen|first3=Rainer|last4=Daum|first4=Irene|last5=Güntürkün|first5=Oner|title=Creative Thinking in Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)|journal=Child Neuropsychology|date=2006|volume=12|issue=2|pages=111–123|doi=10.1080/09297040500320691|pmid=16754532|issn=1744-4136|citeseerx=10.1.1.406.7554|s2cid=15518802}}</ref>

==Guided imagery==

Although, visual and auditory mental images are reported as being the most frequently experienced by people<ref>Betts, G. H., The distribution and functions of mental imagery. New York: Columbia University, 1909.</ref><ref>Tiggemann, M., and Kemps, E., The phenomenology of food cravings: The role of mental imagery. Appetite, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2005, pp305–313.</ref> and even with visual images remaining the most extensively [[research]]ed and documented in [[Scientific method|scientific]] literature,<ref>Kosslyn, S. M., Thompson, W. L., and Ganis, G., The case for mental imagery. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.</ref><ref>Pearson, D. G., De Beni, R., and Cornoldi, C., The generation and transformation of visuo-spatial mental images. In M. Denis, R. H. Logie, C. Cornoldi, M. de Vega, and J. Engelkamp (Eds.), Imagery, language and visuo-spatial thinking. Hove: Psychology Press, 2001, pp1-23.</ref><ref>Logie, R. H., Visuo-spatial working memory Hove. UK: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995.</ref> the term "''creative visualization"'' isappears far less frequently used in scientific, [[Peer review|peer-reviewed]], and [[Scholarly method|scholarly publications]] than the term ''guided imagery'', which research authors commonly use to indicate the generation, maintenance, inspection, and transformation of mental imagery across all modalities, and to refer exclusively and specifically to the processing of visual imagery. Also, some authors use the term "''creative visualization"'' interchangeably with "''guided imagery"''. Meanwhile, others refer to guided imagery in a way to indicate that it includes creative visualization.<ref>Compare for example the results returned by Google Scholar for publications containing 'Creative Visualization' in the title: [https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=allintitle%3A+%22creative+visualization+%22&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5 Creative Visualization] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422035708/https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=allintitle%3A+%22creative+visualization+%22&btnG=&as_sdt=0%2C5 |date=2024-04-22 }} with those containing 'Guided Imagery' [https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=allintitle%3A+%22guided+imagery%22&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5 Guided Imagery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719035512/https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=allintitle:+%22guided+imagery%22&btnG=&as_sdt=0,5 |date=2022-07-19 }}.</ref><ref>Astin, J.A., Shapiro, S.L., Eisenberg, D. M., and Forys, M.A., Mind–body medicine: State of the science, implications for practice. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Vol. 16:, 2003, pp131–147.</ref><ref>Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What's In a Name? US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. National Institutes of Health. NIH Publication No. D347. Online Version. Retrieved 31 July 2015</ref>

Furthermore, investigative, [[Clinical trial|clinical]], scientific, and academic authors frequently measure, analyze, and discuss the effects of creative visualization and guided imagery, collectively and inseparably from other mind–body interventions they are commonly combined with—including [[meditation music]] or [[Music therapy|receptive music therapy]], relaxation, [[guided meditation]] or [[Meditation|meditative praxis]], and [[Writing therapy|self-reflective diary-keeping or journaling]]. This often makes it difficult to attribute positive or negative outcomes to any one of the specific techniques.<ref>Astin, J.A., Shapiro, S.L., Eisenberg, D. M., and Forys, M.A., Mind–body medicine: State of the science, implications for practice. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Vol. 16:, 2003, pp131–147.</ref><ref>Post-White J. 2002. Clinical indication for use of imagery in oncology practice. In Voice Massage, Scripts for Guided Imagery, Edwards D.M (Ed.). Oncology Nursing Society: Pittsburgh, PA.</ref><ref>Wallace KG. 1997. Analysis of recent literature concerning relaxation and imagery interventions for cancer pain. Cancer Nursing 20: 79–87.</ref><ref>Luebert K, Dahme B, Hasenbring M. 2001. The effectiveness of relaxation training in reducing treatment-related symptoms and improving emotional adjustment in acute non-surgical cancer treatment: A meta-analytical review. Psycho-Oncology, Vol. 10: pp490–502.</ref>

== Effectiveness ==

Creative visualization might help people with cancer feel more positive, but there "is no compelling evidence to suggest positive effects on physical symptoms such as nausea and vomiting."<ref name=ernst>{{cite journal |vauthors=Roffe L, Schmidt K, Ernst E |title=A systematic review of guided imagery as an adjuvant cancer therapy |journal=Psychooncology |volume=14 |issue=8 |pages=607–17 |year=2005 |pmid=15651053 |doi=10.1002/pon.889 |s2cid=71880414 |type=Systematic review |url=https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/17387/1/Roffe%252C_L._-_Systematic_review_-_Psycho-Oncology_2005.pdf |access-date=2019-07-13 |archive-date=2019-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217074500/https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/17387/1/Roffe%2C_L._-_Systematic_review_-_Psycho-Oncology_2005.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Imagination]]

{{Greater and Lesser Magic}}

[[Category:Mind–body interventions]]

[[Category:Psychotherapy]]

[[Category:Imagination]]