Our expert columnist delves into how this dynamic hypnotherapy technique can inspire confidence, focus, and help you unlock your potential
Mentally mapping out the route you’re going to take to a restaurant, or rehearsing what you want to say ahead of an important meeting – these are examples of how we might already be engaging in visualisation in daily life. But its potential remains untapped.
Visualisation is arguably one of the most powerful tools in solution focused hypnotherapy (SFH), allowing individuals to focus on the life they want to live. Unlike more traditional approaches that analyse the problem, SFH shifts attention towards positive outcomes, and the steps needed to achieve them. Clients are encouraged to imagine – and, to a greater extent, feel – what it would be like to live the life they desire, developing clarity, motivation, and belief in the process.
How visualisation works
The brain doesn’t distinguish between imagination and reality. When you vividly imagine a situation – a future goal, a calm space, or a confident performance – your conscious mind sets the intention, while your subconscious provides the imagery, sensations, and emotions that make it feel real.
This is why athletes, musicians, and high performers often use visualisation as part of their training. By mentally rehearsing success, they are effectively programming their minds and bodies to perform at their best when it really matters. The subconscious treats those mental images as experiences, helping to build new pathways of confidence, focus, and control.
Visualisation in therapy
Visualisation forms the foundation for several powerful therapeutic techniques, including the ‘swish technique’ from neuro-linguistic programming, which helps people rapidly change automatic thoughts, feelings, or behaviours by transforming how their subconscious responds to triggers.
As an example, someone who feels anxious in a certain situation might hold a mental image of that moment filled with tension and self-doubt. During a swish exercise, that image is replaced with a vivid, empowering one – perhaps showing them calm, confident, and in control. Repeating this process ‘swishes’ the old pattern away, teaching the subconscious to associate the trigger with confidence instead of anxiety.
Over time, this mental rehearsal can rewire the brain, allowing us to respond more effectively in real life. It’s a simple, yet powerful, way to build confidence and emotional resilience, as it engages both imagination and emotion – two of the most influential forces in the subconscious mind.
Reaching the flow state
As a solution focused hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, I regularly work with elite athletes, helping them access the ‘flow state’ – that feeling of being completely absorbed in a task, often described as being ‘in the zone’.
The flow state occurs when your skills match the challenge ahead of you. The conscious mind quietens, allowing the subconscious to take control. Time seems to slow, actions become fluid, and performance feels automatic. In this state, the brain releases chemicals that enhance focus, confidence, and enjoyment (dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, serotonin, and endorphins), making it one of the most powerful mental states for creativity, learning, and performance.
To help athletes reach this state, I often use ‘reframing’ – a technique anyone can use. It involves shifting how the mind interprets challenges, turning the perception of pressure into opportunity, and nerves into focus. Think of it as ‘I have to do this’ turning into ‘I get to do this.’ Combined with visualisation, reframing helps clients to access their natural ability to perform freely, without interference from overthinking or self-doubt.
A simple visualisation practice
The following exercise can improve focus, confidence, and calmness, particularly during moments of stress or overwhelm.
Play relaxing music. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply, and allow your body to unwind.
Picture your goal or event – something you want to perform, improve, or handle with confidence.
Engage all your senses. Imagine where you are and what you’re doing. Notice what you’re wearing, or any physical sensations. Feel the confidence, calm, and control in your body.
Visualise it in slow motion 11 times, then imagine it happening in real-time on the 12th. Don’t rush this – make every detail as vivid as you can.
Repeat the real-time version 12 more times. Keep your focus on how it feels to succeed.
When you’re done, congratulate yourself. Take a moment, breathe, and open your eyes, feeling calm, confident, and centred.
This practice can be surprisingly powerful. It’s best used when your mind is clear, as visualisation works most effectively when the brain is relaxed and receptive.
Looking ahead
Visualisation isn’t about pretending or wishful thinking – it’s training the mind to recognise success before it happens. When combined with hypnotherapy, or techniques like ‘the swish’ and reframing methods, it becomes a tool for lasting change, helping you access the focus, confidence, and calm you already hold within. With regular practice, it can become one of the most empowering habits you develop.
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