In ‘Best Kept Secrets About Brain Fitness: a Conversation with Graham Taylor and Robin Phillips (Part 4)‘ I talked to Dr. Graham Taylor about the role imagination can play in helping with cognitive reframing;
“The ability to see the situations in our lives from a different perspective (what psychologists call “cognitive reframing”) is important for being able to cultivate gratitude, self-validation or spiritual renewal, but crucially this involves creativity and imagination. When we get stuck in one way of viewing our lives that we know is wrong and yet we can’t seem to escape from it, the imagination is our friend. For example, if I’m having a bad day and I start engaging in self-pity, maybe it’s time for me to imagine how things could be a lot worse. Or I could imagine someone from two hundred years ago watching my life and being impressed with all the blessings I have that I take for granted. Or I could imagine how I would feel about my priorities if I knew I was going to die in 6 months. By using the imagination in these and other ways, we are able to take a different perspective on the challenges in our life.”