“Your brain has a difficult time distinguishing between what you see with your eyes and what you visualize in your mind.  In fact, MRI scans of people’s brains taken while they are watching the sun set are virtually indistinguishable from scans taken when the same people visualize a sunset in their mind.  The same brain regions are active in both scenarios.”-Travis Bradberry & Jean greaves, Emotional Intelligence 2.0

I have pointed out in the past the power of the placebo (see Hippocrates Shadow by Newman), and here again, it is clear that we do not tap into the power of our minds to transform our lives.  The use of visualizations has been shown to be very powerful during prayer (see Seeing Is Believing by Greg Boyd), and the use of metaphor and other visualization exercises can be a powerful way to change one’s perspective.