Imagination—The Power of Inner Images

The term imagination (from Latin “imago”, image) refers to the ability to create an inner image. Imagery, so the American psychologist Jeanne Achterberg, is a mental process that uses our senses—“vision, audition, smell, taste, the senses of movement, position, and touch”—and is directly connected to our perception, our feelings and our body (1985, p. 3). Thus, inner images have direct effects on our mental state and our body. For example, if we imagine being in a safe and pleasant place, our heart rate slows down, our blood pressure drops and our entire organism calms down (ibid.).