The Power of Imagination: How Your Mind Can Shape Reality and Change Your Life

Imagination is a very powerful force, through which we can greatly influence our resilience through life's challenges. According to the Malbim, a person has the ability to create worlds through imagination, and influence all of creation (Malbim on Genesis 2:7).

Imagination allows a person to feel as if they are physically present in the place they picture in their mind. The Talmudic Sages say, “Change of place, change of fortune” (Rosh Hashanah 16b). The Rashba explains that this does not necessarily mean a physical change of location, but even changing one’s “place” through thought can alter one’s fortune.

Imagination activates a person’s entire body and emotional responses, enabling them to act more effectively toward positive change. For example, listening to relaxing audio that guides you to imagine being in nature can calm the mind, and from that state, you can make positive changes more easily. The saying, "A person is where their thoughts are" teaches that even someone in pain can feel relief, if they imagine themselves in a good place

Using positive imagery is especially powerful, as it stimulates the imagination and strongly influences the subconscious. For this reason, we should avoid negative imagery, such as “I’m wrung out like a rag” or “I feel like a popped balloon.” Instead, we can use positive visualizations such as, “I feel full of energy” or “I’m flowing with ideas like a river.”

Why Does Imagination Affect Us So Strongly?

Science writer Michael Talbot explains that the subconscious mind does not distinguish between imagination and reality. When someone vividly imagines an event, the subconscious accepts it as real, producing emotions and even physical changes in the body accordingly.

For example, if you imagine something frightening in detail, your body may react exactly as if it were happening with trembling, dizziness, sweating, and so on. People have recovered from illnesses by harnessing this powerful tool.

Joseph LeDoux explains that the amygdala, located in the non-conscious region of the brain, is responsible for automatic bodily functions such as breathing and heartbeat. The amygdala can take control in the first moments of a stimulus, before the conscious mind registers what’s happening, prompting immediate emotional and physical responses.

When we see or hear something, the information reaches the amygdala — the emotional center of the brain — before it reaches the conscious, rational brain. This is why our first reaction is often automatic and based on stored emotional memories. Only afterward does the conscious mind catch up and regain control.

Since the subconscious interprets imagination and memory as if they were happening in real life, recalling or visualizing a specific event triggers the amygdala to respond as though it were occurring now. This causes the body to react accordingly.

If the image passes quickly, the effect fades in minutes. But if we focus on the imagined scene for longer, silence the conscious mind, close our eyes, and immerse ourselves as if it were truly happening, it can have a real, measurable effect on both body and soul, and even influence our life’s direction.