The visual imagery put on our sunglasses. We’re about to go on the sensory ride, including bright bursts of sunlight. And the verdant meadows of Scotland, and delicate slips of moonlight through the frost-covered glass.

The mind’s eye: The cognitive process of creating or recreation a visual experience, which takes place in the mind rather than through sensory stimulation.

Visual imagery isn’t like looking at a photograph; it is the complex neural feat of seeing in the brain’s primary visual cortex and temporal lobe.

How visual imagery works:

Unlike a mental snapshot, visual imagery works in two ways:

* Voluntary imagery: You “look” at a mental picture, either a stored memory, or one you are actively creating in your mind (e.g. Thinking about your childhood home).

* Involuntary imagery: images which spontaneously appear in the mind (e.g. “flashbacks” in memories or the visuals that accompany dreams).

The spectrum of VVIQ

Research uses the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) to grade what kind of imagery people have on a sliding scale.

• Hyperphantasia: The individual experiences images so vivid it is virtually indistinguishable from seeing.
• Phantasia: the “normal” experience, ability to visualize shapes, colors and faces, to varying degrees.
• Hypophantasia: the mental image produced is very dim, hazy and has minimal detail.
• Aphantasia: inability to create mental images. Someone with aphantasia will be able to describe a sunset, but they are unable to picture one in their minds.

Why is visual imagery important?

Visual imagery is a fundamental mental skill underpinning a number of higher level brain functions.

•  Problem solving: Engineers or architects will create a mental 3D replica of the thing they are building, in order to check if the parts all fit together before ever touching a physical tool.
•  Performance enhancement in athletics: The practice of visualization allows top athletes to stimulate the brain pathways related to the specific movement required. Studies show that practicing a movement in one’s mind increases physical performance of that movement in the real world as a result of enhanced brain to muscle connection.
•  Memory recall (Method of loci): one of the most useful ways in which data can be recalled is by “placing” information within a familiar visual location that you hold in your mind.

What are the Examples of Visual Imagery?

• As she stepped out of the office building, she thought the bright, beaming sunlight could blind her. And immediately, she began rummaging through her purse for her Tom Ford shades.
• And his phone signaled, immediately setting his teeth on edge. He looked at the cracked screen, saw the name, and slapped the phone back down on his desk.
• Also, she sat at the desk, chin on hand, and carelessly flick through the pages. When she got to chapter three, she sat up straight and pulled off her glasses.
• Also, the puppy sprawled across her couch, legs twitching feverishly, and she knew he must be dreaming of the squirrels he tries to capture every morning.
• And he took her hand and led her to the edge of the cliff. The verdant meadows that spread before them dazzled her with every shade of green.
• And she accepted the bouquet. It fills with her favorite flowers – white roses, purple irises—also soft sprays of baby’s breath. The flowers influence in the breeze, almost as if they were dancing in her delight.
• Also, he took the tattered leather-bound book from her. The cover was so faded, and it was hard to make out the title. He instructed to open it but feared the anthology must crumble into dust.
• And together, they sat at the shoreline. The shimmering sun is sinking into the sea, and, as it disappeared, she told him they’d never meet again.