Visualization is very important in our healing work

The Importance of Visualization

I recently was reading the book "A Revolutionary Way of Thinking" by Dr Charles Krebs. He was transformed from a near-fatal diving accident to a new science of healing. After his accident he became a paraplegic. Immediately he tried to rehabilitate his lower body with his intention. He states:

"I had studied karate for a number of years and when you get to the higher levels of martial arts you begin to work with an energy known as Ch'i. I knew that when I broke boards and tiles with my hand, I wasn't using sheer physical force, I was using Ch'i, projected from my mind through my head. I also knew all the muscles and nerve pathways in my body. While I was lying in my hospital bed, I started doing something that I didn't know had a name, but which I now know is called 'creative visualization.'

I would pick a muscle in my leg that didn't work, which was pretty easy because none of them did, then I would visualise Ch'i in my mind as an electric charge and mentally project it down the visualized nerve pathways to a specific muscle. When I got to the damaged area in my neck, I would visualise the Ch'i smashing through the blockage. I focused everything I had on the process and pretty soon I was able to make the selected muscle flicker. Once I could make it flicker, just a little bit, I could then use physiotherapy exercises to make it stronger.

It has already been a month since my accident so my muscles were atrophied. Yet I had a lot going for me. First, I was incredibly strong-willed. Second, I knew about Ch'i and how to direct it with my mind. Third, I knew my anatomy and physiology inside out and fourth, before my accident. I had been so fit that even after weeks of paralysis I had muscle tone that allowed me to detect the merest flicker in a muscle."

Dr. Krebs would then go daily to the physiotheraphy gym and work out for even hours a day. The slightest effort to make a leg muscle move a few centimeters would make Krebs sweat and shake and then collapse. When he had enough strength, he would try and try again. He soon added weights to his leg and then send Ch'i and intention down the pathways until the leg moved and lifted.

I could very much relate to this account of Dr. Charles Krebs since I too have extensively used what the world would calls 'creative visualization.' I realize that I have done this all my life.

Visualization in Sports:
I recall when I was in high school football, the coach took us all in a darkened room before the game and at half-time and had us imagine moving about on the field, making winning moves. We were to visualize ourselves doing this, and then go out and act out our intentions during the rest of the game. I have since read that creative visualization is the basic technique underlying positive thinking and is frequently used by athletes to enhance their performance.

Visualization in Religion:
In my religion I have visualized a lot in my mind while exercising my faith in God. I recall frequently in my life trying to imagine seeing God in front of me while praying. I have tried to see God at the sacrament, or in the temple. Often it has seemed that they are really there, even though I haven't seen them.

In the past year and a half, I have had dramatically improved prayers using visualization. Here is how I now do this very important communion with my Father in heaven:

1) I kneel down, breath slowly, trying to synch with the heavenly pulse, or with Him.
2) I visualize Heavenly Father in front of me, and Jesus Christ to his right side. I wait until I can at least partially visualize them before me. Sometimes I am viewing them from my own person, and sometimes I see myself kneeling or standing before them, as a spectator seeing myself and them.
3) When I feel they are listening, I begin talking with Heavenly Father in my mind. I go through whatever comes into my mind, and share all with Him.
4) When I am done, I wait until I perceive them again as clear as I can, and see if they want to communicate with me. If they do, I usually perceive them coming before me from where they are. In this way they get my attention. I listen to what they say, and commune with them. After I thank them for this communion, I then close my prayer and then immediately write whatever they have communicated to me.

I frequently feel a deep communication with God during the sacrament. It might seem peculiar, but I have even started singing the sacrament hymn in their presence, in my mind. Sometimes I have even seen and heard Jesus sing the sacrament hymn (this has happened two to three times when the particular hymn "Reverently and Meekly Now" (p. 185, Hymns) was chosen as the sacrament hymn. In it I thought I heard Jesus, standing up near the sacrament table, singing to me and the congregation:

"Think of me, thou ransomed one;
Think what I for thee have done.
With my blood that dripped like rain,
Sweat in agony of pain.
With my body on the tree,
I have ransomed even thee. . .

I have loved thee as thy friend,
With a love that cannot end.
Be obedient, I implore,
Prayerful, watchful, evermore.
And be constant unto me,
That thy Savior I may be."

As I visualize myself singing before both the Father and the Son, in my mind's eye, the hymn I sing becomes a prayer of communion. I have also tried to going before the Father during the sacrament prayer, looking at Him while I think of the words of the sacramental prayer offered by the priest. When the promise is said to take upon me the name of Jesus Christ, I try to look at Jesus while talking or thinking of the words to the Father. This visualization has really helped me to make a better connection to God.

When I feel connected with God, the communion is very real to me, and is fully a 'visualization' of God before me. I talk to God before me, all in my mind, and He responds to me, in my mind, with words clear as one speaks to another. After either Jesus or the Father communicates something to me, then they often embrace me and express great love to me. These experiences have fully changed my life.

(image courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc)

Visualization in Healing:
I have exercised my faith while giving priesthood blessings throughout my life. I remember pronouncing a blessing with my companion for the mother of one my home-teaching families. She had just been diagnosed with uterine cancer and was due for an operation in two days. She asked for a healing priesthood blessing. Afterwards, my companion, a former Stake President, was shocked with my blessing, and told me I shouldn't say those kinds of things. However, I really said what I felt impressed to say, and that it would surely happen. I think Valerie (her name) had huge faith, and when the doctor couldn't find the cancer the next day, she wasn't at all surprised, for she had visualized that it was gone and it was. I too could visualize that Valerie would heal. This built all our faith and gave us more confidence in God's power to heal.

Visualization is belief that something will really happen. It is a mental image in our minds that it will happen, and I believe this can change our circumstances and events. It is a power.

Being intuitive is being able to 'see' or 'comprehend' things really happen in the spiritual realms. By definition, intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning; a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning. Faith is the action arm of belief or visualization.

Many people believe that creative visualization uses the power of the mind, and that it is the power behind every success. The subconscious mind accepts the thoughts that you often repeat. When it accepts them, it changes your mindset accordingly, as well as your habits and actions.

While exercising the healing gifts explained in this website, I make it a practice to get in a meditative state. I really didn't realize what I was doing at first, and often still don't–it seems so natural. I just start breathing slowly, visualizing the client before me, and then I try to 'see' what is going on and what I should be doing. Early on, I soon became aware of others who came to help me heal my client, predominantly relatives of the clients (adding their faith) and fellow healers. Early in 2013, Jesus started coming during these energy healing sessions. I was trying to be very visual in my perceptions as well as trying to be very intuitive. In April 2013, I first 'saw' or visualized seeing Heavenly Father. From then on, when I prayed, I could visualize Heavenly Father before me, and Jesus on his side.

On April 20th, I had by far the most remarkable 'vision' I have had ever in my life. Note that the very word 'vision' has the same root as 'visual', 'visualization' or 'envision'.

From my journal entry, April 20th, 2013:

"During Sara's prayer, l could envision seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus on his right hand, like the Bible says. (I had been having this experience during my prayers for several weeks prior to the class.) Then I saw a beautiful woman come from behind Heavenly Father and stand next to Him. I immediately knew it was Heavenly Mother! She came forward and entered into the room, whereas Heavenly Father and Jesus stood more off. During the rest of the prayer, I had a very hard time keeping my composure! This experience was altogether unexpected and entirely took me by complete surprise and awe."

This experience was the most visual that I had ever had, by far! Everything was so real, so clear, so overcoming to me. I would describe my entire day in that energy class as an open vision, or clear visualization of what was actually happening to me and the others in the room. It was beyond anything I have ever experienced.

Conclusion:
When you do this energy work, try to visualize what you are attempting to do. As you do so, in faith, and trusting in God's power, you will be led to 'see' things that God does in healing your client. As you persist, your visualization of what is real will increase. There will probably be times when you don't think you 'see' anything, but there will be other times when it will be so clear. Overall, God will work through you to heal another person. This is a most exciting journey you will have. Enjoy blessing others!

Jesus Christ
(image courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc)