Imagination Training
Imagination is a human superpower. Animals dream, but we can intend a future event that hasn’t happened yet—and practice it in our minds until our body gets ready to live it.
What imagination really does
Everything man-made around you existed twice: first in imagination, then in the world. Your brain often doesn’t distinguish between a vividly imagined scene and a real one, so it begins preparing—chemically and behaviorally—for what you rehearse.
That’s why we don’t want to waste imagination on worry. Worry is unintentional imagination of what we don’t want.
Placebo, nocebo, and why intention matters
The placebo effect shows that belief and expectation can trigger real physiological change. The nocebo effect shows the opposite: negative expectation makes things worse. Your imagination is the lever behind both. Aim it.
Two keys that unlock imagination
Five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. People differ—some “see,” others “hear” or “feel” more strongly.
Emotion: the feeling tone you attach to what you imagine. Emotion is the glue that makes mental rehearsal stick.
When you combine sensory detail with positive emotion, your brain encodes a “this matters” signal and starts aligning behavior and chemistry toward it.
Try it: 7-minute mental rehearsal
Pick a future scene you genuinely want (5–10+ years is fine): a relationship moment, a health milestone, meaningful work.
Set intention: one sentence—“I’m rehearsing this outcome now.”
Build the setting (90 seconds): Where are you? What do you see, hear, feel against your skin? Any scents?
Add action (90 seconds): What are you doing? Who is there? What are they doing?
Feel the emotion (90 seconds): Gratitude, calm pride, connection—let one feeling spread through the body.
Name one cue and one micro-step (60 seconds): The smallest next action today that points toward that future.
Close and anchor (60 seconds): Open your eyes, write one line: “I’m the kind of person who ____.” Repeat tomorrow.
Why this works: repeated, sensory-rich rehearsal paired with emotion teaches your brain and body what to prepare for. You’re practicing your future until it becomes familiar—and more likely.
Common mistakes (and fixes)
Vague daydreaming → make it concrete: time, place, who, one action.
No emotion → name and amplify a single feeling you want to carry.
All fantasy, no step → finish with one tiny behavior you’ll do today.
Reflection
When you worry, what future are you unintentionally rehearsing?
Which sense (visual, auditory, tactile) feels strongest to you?
What scene would you be proud to rehearse daily for the next month?
What to remember
Imagination is not escapism. It’s training. Use your senses and emotions to rehearse a future worth living—and then take one real-world step that matches it.
— Sandro Formica, PhD
Founder of Permanently Happy (questions at [email protected])
Keynote Speaker | Transforming Leaders & Organizations Through Positive Leadership & Personal Branding | Director, Chief Happiness Officer Certificate Program