The Power of the Subconscious Mind
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Additional Information for Chapter 7, page 98
Illustrations of the principle of power of the subconscious
Intrinsic in this discussion is the power of visualization. One of the extraordinary (but not uncommon) stories of the power of visualization comes from the 1960s and 1970s. Major James Nesmeth was a combat pilot who flew missions over North Vietnam during the Vietnam war. In his free time, James loved to play golf. He was not particularly good typically shooting in the mid 90s, but he loved to play. During his wartime duty he was shot down over North Vietnam and was a prisoner of war for seven years. During the seven years he experienced deprivation, torture and long stretches of solitary confinement. To keep sane he would envision playing an 18-hole golf course. With unlimited time he would visualize every nuance (extract the tee, place it in the ground with a slight left twist, select the golf ball, place it on the tee with the insignia . .) -you get the idea. When Nesmeth was freed he went through rehabilitation, but when recovered, the first time he played golf he shot 74!
Thousands of studies have illustrated similar results of the power of visualization. The text book I use when teaching Sports Psychology has an entire chapter devoted to visualization and its use in athletics but the use of visualization extends far beyond athletics. Essentially all motivational speakers who address the topic of extraordinary accomplishment incorporate visualization as a major component of their argument.
Visualization in the arena of human relationships or more specifically, romantic relationships has equal power but is applied somewhat differently. You see, in athletics and other areas of accomplishment a "perfect" exists. There exists perfect form for a high jump, a pole vault, a free throw, the swing of a bat and experts instruct you to visualize the perfect.
In relationships there really is no "perfect". You create your profile of the "ideal other" but know full well that you are not going to find someone who matches on all points. The way that it works in the arena of finding a marriage partner is that you identify and memorize all the required qualities (the #1s) and probably the #2s as well. Have them posted on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. By having a clear image of the required qualities and the highly desirable qualities, your subconscious goes to work attempting to find a match.
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