I am constantly in awe of the human brain. It is truly an incredible organ.

All parts of our human bodies are important, but the human brain is the center of our nervous system.

It is a very powerful thing, and full of mysteries even to modern scientists. 👩🏼‍🔬

But you don’t have to be a scientist to know a few important things about your brain, things that will help you as you navigate life intentionally and bring into your reality that which you desire through manifestation.

Our brains do not know the difference between reality and fiction.

Read that again.

Your brain cannot distinguish between something that you are thinking about or imagining and something that is real.

Isn’t that amazing?

Be aware, however, that this phenomenon can be both a blessing and a curse and you need to learn how to use this information to improve your life, not make it worse.

Here are 5 crucial positive ways in which the brain does not differentiate between real and imaginary:

1. Visualization 👓

One of the most famous examples is a test carried out by Neuroscientists at Harvard University. They compared the brains of a group of people playing piano notes over and over again for 2 hours a day on 5 days in a row, with a group of people who only imagined playing the notes (for the same period of time over 5 days). T

The results were examined with a technique called TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), and revealed that there was very little or no difference at all between the brains of those who really played the piano and those who did the exercises in their minds.
What does this tell us?

That the brain can simulate the same effects through visualization as through actual muscle movement. 💪🏻

2. Physical Exercise 🏋🏻‍♀️

Similar to the research done with the piano exercises, research with athletes shows that the brain also responds to imagined movements in sports.

That is to say, imagining movements such as lifting weights, running 🏃🏼‍♂️ or kicking a ball into a goal 🥅 helps you to achieve all those things in reality. Brain scans show us that the imagined movement actually activates the brain in the same way as if it were happening.

3. Belief

You’ve heard of the placebo effect right? When someone receives a placebo that they believe is a drug 💊, and then receives a placebo effect, it is because their brain has produced the same substances that the actual drug would have done and what the patient expected the drug to do.

Your brain responds to your thoughts, yet again and your expectations. It produces its own painkillers or whatever it is to meet what you believe is happening.

4. Kindness

Being kind to others or showing love to an animal 🦮 causes your brain and heart ❤️ to produce oxytocin, a chemical that acts on your brain circuits to create a sense of bonding. It also reduces blood pressure and combats damage caused by the stress hormone.

The same amount of Oxytocin can be created just by thinking about kindness.

If you close your eyes 👀 and imagine the last time you were bonding with someone you love, or stroking a pet – in other words vividly imagining the kindness you felt, your brain also produces oxytocin. Yet another example of how we can create in our minds as effectively as though it were reality.

5. Immunity and Antibodies 🦠

It’s possible for us to improve our immune systems simply by imagining the number of cells or antibodies increasing. We can use the power of our brains to radically improve our health in this way.

Research has been carried out in cancer patients who visualized their cancer cells being destroyed to a great positive effect. The numbers of their T-cells increased compared to patients who did not visualize.
Of course, there are also ways in which our brain can work against us through the same phenomenon.

Stress 😣

Your brain produces stress hormones when you are in an anxiety-provoking or fearful situation. The thing is these stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) are released into your body whether you are actually experiencing a stressful situation or whether you are just imagining it.

This is a core reason why so many people who get stuck in negative patterns may find it so challenging to release them.
These hormones are what your body begins to expect on a regular basis. When you relive a traumatic situation or go over old memories your brain does not know the difference between what is real and what is merely imagined.

How can you use this information to improve your life?

Think about how you can use visualization and imagining situations ahead of time to improve your life and bring your desires into reality.

Now that you know just how special and powerful your brain is, you can use your thoughts carefully to direct energy towards certain things.

If you have an interview coming up, a difficult conversation or even a public speaking engagement, you could use visualization techniques to run through the event ahead of time.

Picture the performance or conversation going exactly as you desire. See the audience loving your words. See the other person reacting well to your conversation. While you cannot control what other people do, you can control your reaction to them and using these techniques you can prepare yourself mentally in a highly positive way and influence the outcome.

Apply this strategy to any area of your life and you will be astounded at the difference it can make when you see things going well with your brain instead of worrying about them going wrong.

To recap:

• Change the way you think and approach a situation.
• Visualize and imagine the situation before it happens.
• See yourself successfully taking on the situation.
• Repeat and practice this method until it becomes part of your everyday life.

You really can change your entire life with the power and direction of your thoughts.

Let me know how it goes for you in the comments, share your stories and examples of where visualization has helped you in life. I can’t wait to hear your success stories!