Enhancing visualization with music
We have all heard the old adage: If you can dream it, you can do it. Maybe even some of us have tried this technique, hopefully with some success. However, what you might not know is that music can help with visualization.
How can music help?
People have been using music for hundreds of years as a stimulus. Not only does music have the power to change our mood and enhance our romantic lives, but we are now finding that music can help us overcome perceived pain and and even re-wire our brains for success. There are many areas yet to be researched in which music can be of assistance. When it comes to visualization, music can be an extremely powerful tool.
What to do
That all depends on, what exactly it is, that you want to do. Are you looking for a job promotion or maybe just a technique to help you overcome presentation jitters? Either way music can help. First find a quiet place with few distractions. Sit or lie in a comfortable position and take nice deep breaths extending your stomach out. Americans in particular tend to be shallow breathers because we don’t like to stick our stomachs out. However, breathing is an extremely important part of this exercise, so don’t be shy. Now simply visualize, in detail, what it is that you want. Include as much sensory information as you can such as visual images, sounds, smells, etc. When you have a clear picture in your mind of what it is that you want, imagine a piece of music playing to enhance the feeling of that image. It could be something upbeat and energizing or gentle and calming. The idea is to use music to add emotion and meaning to your visualization.
Does it work?
Greg Louganis, the great Olympic diving champion, used to visualize his dives with a soundtrack playing in his mind. The effectiveness of it all depends on how often you do the exercise. You cannot simply do this exercise once and expect everything in your life to fall nicely into place. You do have to put in some effort. By this I mean, you cannot put off studying for a test and think by only doing this exercise the night before, you’ll get an A. However, if you put in the time and effort to prepare, by visualizing your goal with music, you can achieve it.
Using music can help us with many things in life such as stress management or helping us get into a particular mood. Yet, it can also help us do so much more. So, the next time you are up for that big promotion, put on your favorite visualization soundtrack and imagine yourself getting it!
You can sample some great upbeat music to enhance your visualizations at http://successsongs.com/site/itsmytime/index.cfm.html
