Inside/Outside Visualization

When you are visualizing yourself doing something, you can either see yourself from the outside or from the inside.


To see yourself from the outside, think of watching yourself as if in a movie or video. You can certainly admire your performance, but you don't actually feel as though you're doing the performing.

If you're visualizing yourself from the inside, you will feel, hear, and see what you're feeling, hearing, and seeing in the visualization.

For example, imagine you are running a race. From the outside, you see yourself starting strong, finding the right pace, accelerating and passing you opponents, and crossing the finish line first.

If you're visualizing yourself from the inside, you will hear the starting gun, feel a little jostling at the start, watch for openings where you can get through, feel your feet springing as they touch the track, hear your even breathing, see your opponents as you go by them, and see the finish line as you are the first to cross it.

Which is better, inside or outside? That depends on what works best for you. You might find one approach better in a given situation and the other in another situation. For instance, you may see yourself from the outside when you are playing or performing, and visualize from the inside when you are relaxing in a meadow.