Exactly what is visualization and how do you do it?

[Roze]

Hi,

I want to learn to visualize because it seems such a great skill for personal development. It has been mentioned for examle in connection to meditation, visualizing goals, image streaming, ...

But I still have many questions and there doesn't seem to be a clear definition of visualization anywhere. Many explanations of visualizing seem to only give a very broad explanation. I want to know exactly what it is so that I have a goal when practicing, because I think my understanding of visualizing is very incomplete. I don't mind trying hard, but I do mind not having a clear goal.

Here is my list of questions up till now:

1. Where do you "see" the images? Do they appear behind your eyes, or more to the back of your mind, or in your heart? Are you thinking the images, feeling them or really seeing them? Because I never "see", I more like "think".

2. How do you see the images? How vivid, how clear? If you focus on one detail, can you still see the whole picture, like you can in the material world?

3. Comparing visualization to other mental processes: How does visualization differ from daydreaming, from thinking, from dreaming, ..., or from seeing in the real world?

4. Can you visualize with your eyes open?

5. What kind of images can you visualize? Can you really "create" visions, can you only see what you have seen before, or is visualizing an outlet of your subconscious awareness? Or is it all the above?

6. How did you learn visualization? What was the technique or exercise that worked for you?

7. What can visualization be used for? (like visualizing goals, ...) When people speak of visualizing in connection to different kinds of personal development tools, is it always the same kind of visualizing they are talking about? If not, are there different kinds or maybe even subkinds?

These are the questions I could come up with for now. I'm sure I will have some more questions as I learn new things. Feel free to add more questions. And also a big thank you in advance if you can help me! I'm really eager to learn visualizing.