The science behind vision boards
Seeking evidence-based science rooted in neurology to understand the practice of creating vision boards
Up until the middle of the pandemic years I never really gave much thought to the notion of creating a vision board. Crafting a board filled with pictures and words some time in late December in the name of goal setting for the new year never really intrigued me.
Skeptical of the practice as yet another blog-worthy trend, I passed over the idea of sitting down on the floor with scissors and a stack of old magazines.
What does sticking a bunch of pictures from magazines on cardboard do for my personal or career aspirations?
Or my writing aspirations, for that matter?
Until one day, near the end of the last pandemic lockdown period, I came across a YouTube video called The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I listened to the entire audio book version and became fascinated by the message she portrayed.
But I maintained a healthy dose of skepticism.
Although I understood the basic message of The Law of Attraction, I would have preferred a more evidence-based approach to the book.
Seems I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
The Law of Attraction
A celebrated Neuroscientist in the UK by the name of Dr. Tara Swart decided to provide evidence-based science to support claims that The Law of Attraction is an effective tool for self-discovery. She made the point that the book (and movie) The Secret “shows we have the power to change our destiny simply by reshaping our mind”.
Simultaneously she questioned whether The Law of Attraction even works. She considered herself a skeptic, and, because of her medical training, preferred to test theories with evidence-based experiments before drawing conclusions or claiming successful results.
What prompted her to delve into this project - to use science to support the concept of The Law of Attraction and write a book about it - was the way The Secret made it things sound too easy. Can one really just use the power of one’s own mind to get the results one desire in life?
Dr. Swart’s credibility
Dr. Swart was raised in the United Kingdom by traditional Indian parents. She was expected to become a doctor and obediently went to medical school at the University of Oxford to earn her medical degree. Later, she became a psychiatrist before embarking on a PhD in the Neurosciences, specializing in Neuroplasticity. After The Secret came out to much fanfare, Dr. Swart decided to tackle the project of proving, with science, the concepts mentioned in The Secret, and wrote her book The Source every weekend for a year.
Her aim with her book was address manifestation and visualization, key components in the vision boards people liked to design as a method of future planning.
If we can strip away our skepticism, these ancient tools of manifestation and visualization are fundamentally powerful and incredibly effective at freeing us of self-limiting behaviours and propelling us toward our truest, most authentic selves.
Source: www.taraswart.com/the-source
I was immediately fascinated. I delved into her book The Source and made many notes. Next, I went on YouTube and listened to her answer questions online in interviews and on podcasts.
Seems Dr. Deepak Chopra was also a fan.
It didn’t take long for me to mark Dr. Swart as one of my favorite authors.
Tying together The Law of Attraction with evidence-based science rooted in Neurology
Dr. Swart reveals how and why The Law of Attraction actually works by offering current breakthroughs in neuroscience and behavioural psychology and includes lessons in neuroplasticity, magnetism, emotional and local thinking and self-care.
Dr. Swart describes her own journey from skeptic to believer, and guides readers through the scientific breakthroughs and personal revelations that changed her from an unhappy, close-minded, and disconnected woman wanting more from life, to a successful entrepreneur living with confidence, purpose, and joy.
Dr. Swart combines the insights and inspiration of The Secret with the practical lessons of The Master Key System to help a new generation fulfill their dreams.
The Source is a rigorous, proven toolkit for unlocking our minds—and reaching our fullest potential.
Source: www.taraswart.com/the-source
Renaming vision boards action boards
Dr. Swart maintains that the term vision board is somewhat misleading. She feels the missing ingredient in The Secret was a lack of action, which she believes and proves with science is a requirement for achieving your goals. She makes the point in many of her videos that you cannot simply visualize the perfect boyfriend, wife, job, income, car, vacation, mansion or any other desire by sitting at home dreaming about it, repeating mantras and affirmations in the hopes to make it so.
As a scientist, Dr. Swart is trained to measure progress in any venture she undertakes, and that includes her visualizations and subsequent actions taken to arrive at the desired result. Her book explains how to do this step by step in layman’s terms, which makes it easy to read and even easier to put into practice.
Explaining the power of visualization
Dr. Swart spends much time talking and writing about how the brain works. She writes extensively about Neuroplasticity in her book, discusses aspects online in interviews on YouTube or on podcasts, and educates her followers on Instagram with diagrams, images and graphs.
Visualization, which ties in with the practice of creating vision/action boards, is mentioned time and again. She explains clearly how the intricate neurological pathways send and receive constant pulses as they transmit endless information.
Visualization is incredibly powerful when aspiring to getting something you want, but you have to be a participant and take action. (Dr. Tara Swart)
No one is going to come knocking on your door to hand you the keys to a new car, or give you a check for millions of dollars, or drop to their knee to propose everlasting love and marriage. But, you can create opportunities for this to happen if you are clear with your intentions, and take acute steps in visualizing your desires.
This is why Dr. Swart coined the term action board, as opposed to vision board.
Without action, vision is just a dream.
My own journey into building a personal vision/action board
For me, Dr. Swart manages to tie together all the information I gained reading a variety of books about neurology, neuroplasticity, psychology, triggers and the subconscious mind, quantum physics and related material. I finally understood the missing link in terms of getting myself unstuck, both professionally and personally.
When I finished reading The Source, I began to collect images and words I came across online and in print which spoke to me - much like my tarot cards do - and started a collage to turn into my vision/action board. Then, I took a picture of it and stored it in my phone. This way, I had access to my vision/action board even if I wasn’t directly in front of it.
My vision/action board is incomplete, an ongoing project relying heavily on inspiration. It is located in my room with a door at my mom’s house. However, I keep a photo of my board in my phone which enables me to access it any time I want to.
Looking repeatedly at my vision/action board keeps my desires in the forefront of my mind. Seeing it reminds me of the things that are important to me, which leaves me more open to noticing opportunities which I may not be aware of otherwise. I find myself much more in tune with my surroundings and pick up on subtle messages in ways that I sometimes don’t connect or interpret as meaningul until later in the day, say at bedtime right after I cast one final look at my vision board.
Keeping a journal handy to make notes when these aha moments occur is helpful to keep you on track.
But more practice is required. And more learning is needed.
Meanwhile, I am interested in your experiences. Have you ever created a vision board? Have you succeeded in achieving your desires? Do you have any insights why or why not?