Negative Visualisation: What It Is & How It Can Help Us

Do you take for granted your home, medical care, being treated well, your health, seeing your children grow older? Do you believe you are entitled to them? The thing is, all these are transient and we keep on forgetting it, so we neglect what is important!

In this podcast, I talk about Negative Visualisation – a technique that ancient Stoics (eg. Seneca, Aurelius) practised to develop gratitude and appreciation in their lives. We discuss what it is, how it can help you and how to practice it.

Reviews

Thank you for sharing this concept... really got me thinking. Many thanks!

This is a breath of fresh air. And makes so much sense. It's the first time I've heard of negative visualisation but I think I've practiced it naturally a lot. I would always think I was morbid and depressed, but now if I put this perspective onto those thoughts I can look at it another way and appreciate life a lot more. Which I think also has naturally happened, as most of the time I have a lust and a love for life. Thank you, you've really opened my eyes.

Insightful- thank you

That was a great way to contemplate the actual meaning of gratitude.
I read an interview w/ a man, who has had a lot of setbacks in his life. He died two weeks ago and left behind his wife and two children of 4 and 2. He left video messages for his kids for every birthday to come until they are 18. That inspired me to reflect more about what and how I would like to leave behind. I am going to continue w/ the negative visualisation technique - thank you

Hi Spiros, I am afraid it is in Dutch. The guy, his name us Marc de Hond, was a famous paralympic athlete here in the Netherlands. I found one clip about that in English:

https://youtu.be/a8wrAjPuMi0
But unfortunately the last interview he did a few weeks ago is in Dutch. His main message is: always choose to see the upside; upset is the anagram of set-up.
I love his courage and determination.

I was facing creating a new writing class, and this talk has helped me I think so differently both about my fears in teaching the class but also writing topics for my students. thank you

An absolutely disturbing & brilliant way of seeing things

that was beautifully melancholic and thought provoking.. I actually used your examples & thought about losing my hand ....and then thought about how adaptable & resilient we our as a species S& then I thought about losing my son( not that he'd let me kiss him at bedtime really he's 17) and how utterly unbearable that would feel, but bear it I'd have to as my ddaughter would still need me and llife does go on. I love your poignant mini podcasts.. Thankyou ... I heard a lovely thing today as regards finding your souls purpose....,the purpose is that we have been given the gift of life and get to be part of the tapestry of this beautiful planet. Thankyou spiros. Blessings to you__/\_

I already had gratitude for the "big" things like home, health, money, relationships. This talk made me explore the same on a deeper level. It also broadened my gratitude for "smaller" things I have taken for granted, like my finger or hearing a bird chirp. Well done, thank you!