Who doesn’t need a little help getting motivated or inspired to tackle a big project or revive our energy around our bigger goals? There are a lot of good options available, and some techniques work better for some people than others, so let me introduce you to a robust, evidence-based approach that can help promote new motivation that has an additional benefit of helping to reduce depression symptoms. The technique is called a mind movie and I will share a product that can help create a mind movie, but I will also present some ways to create your own mind movie without using a purchased product.
But first, a little about the science of why mind movies are a great tool for increasing motivation and inspiration and for also reducing symptoms of depression. First of all, depression is related to motivation because a primary symptom of depression is lack of motivation (Tye & Janak, 2007). Many people experience a lack of motivation without experiencing depression, but nevertheless motivation and depression share some similarities. Both motivation and depression are related to the way the brain processes the emotions behind what is termed the brains “reward” system. While I’d love to discuss the amazing processes behind what goes on in the brain’s reward system, in case you are not as excited as I am talking about brain function, I will pick out one important brain element that helps with motivation and depression and that is the brain chemical/neurotransmitter, dopamine. Those that experience symptoms of depression and those that experience high levels of motivated action have diametrically opposite levels of dopamine, where depression show low levels of dopamine and highly motivated people have high levels of dopamine (Hamid et al., 2015).
Most people are probably familiar with the knowledge that exercise is one way to produce dopamine in the brain/body. This is expressed in common vernacular as the “runner’s high” and many of us have experienced this increased sense of satisfaction after a brisk walk or a good workout at the gym. Another, lessor known way to increase dopamine production is using the senses to simulate positive outcomes in our lives or current goals through visualization (Schultz, 1998). Some forms of visualization appear to be more powerful than others, but those visualizations that presume positive outcomes are most effective. Keep in mind that increasing dopamine production is part of the learning process the brain needs to go through to be able to sustain certain levels of dopamine in the system, so doing anything that increases dopamine production requires repetition and consistency. I mention this because people sometimes get discouraged when trying new motivating or depression reducing techniques so it helps to remember that sustainable positive results require repetition, that is just the way the brain works.
Dr. Joe Dispenza (2017) in his book Becoming Supernatural, How Common People are doing the Uncommon, has come up with a formula for a mind movie guided visualization that has been studied in hundreds of workshops where neurological readings indicate that this formula increases not only dopamine production but numerous other healthy brain activity that can improve mood, brain focus, and renew motivation. There are three main components to developing your mind movie that helps the visualization to be effective. First, the visualization’s intent must be clear as to what the person wants to create in the future. This means that you must know what you want as a future goal/state and it should be meaningful to you. Second, the visualization must have elements built into it that create an emotional response to achieving this goal. Finally, the visualization must be repeated to learn the emotional state of the desired goal. Dispenza proposes that to start your mind movie, you lay a foundation for the visuals with a song that helps create the emotional state of the end result. For example, if I wanted to create a mind-movie about feeling strong and being free from the left-over sadness of a bad break-up, I might have my background music be “I’m a Survivor” by Beyoncé. The next step is to get in a deep state of relaxation, called an alpha state. Getting to alpha can usually be achieved by incorporating deep breathing, having the intention to relax, and keeping your focus on your breathing for several minutes. This is a key step in this process because when you are in an alpha state, your brain is in learning mode and you are more open to suggestions. Advertisers know this and use similar techniques to mesmerize you before selling their products to you. Once relaxed, begin watching your mind movie and keep your focus on the movie while allowing your emotional responses to raise to meet the excitement of the goal. Engage all your senses and feel the emotion behind your intention. It is important to stay in that state of emotion while watching your movie. For instance, using the same example of being a survivor after a bad break-up, you will want to feel free, excited, relieved, proud, fierce, strong, and so on. Use the music and the movie to keep your emotional response alive. Finally, watch your movie frequently, at least once a day. The end result of this process is a lifted mood, more focus on your goals, increased energy, and a renewed motivation that can jump-start even the most stubborn procrastinators.
Mind movies can be created in a semi-professional manner by going to mindmovies.com. This product offers a simple plug and play way to pull together all the elements you need to put your own mind-movie together. It is moderately priced but can be a lasting tool you can use repeatedly to create a motivating, positive state of mind. I have included a mind-movie below as an example. You can get really into this movie creation by using a video editor app, where instead of still pictures you can use video to create a really inspiring video for your mind movie. Two apps to check out are iMovie for Mac users and Movavi for Windows users. However, you can also use Powerpoint to achieve similar results. What you need is the following to create your mind movie in Powerpoint:
- Your motivating music track (.mp3). These can be easily downloaded if you have a music app
- Lots of pictures to represent your goal and your emotional state. You can use personal pictures or find ones online. I like www.Unsplash.com for free stock photos of high quality. Just give the artist or Unsplash credit when you use them.
- Finally, you need to come up with several affirmations that support your goals and your emotional state. You will be embedding these affirmations into the Powerpoint slides of your movie.
I also want to invite you to use mind movies that are already created and available on YouTube. Some of them might fit your needs perfectly and you can just pull them up and get into your alpha state and enjoy without putting too much effort into this powerful tool (i.e. mind movies). I am attaching one of my favorite YouTube mind movies:
So, however you make your mind movie, open up that full-screen video movie, put those headphones on, and after you have gotten yourself in a state of relaxation, immerse yourself in your mind movie, FEELING all the positive emotions these goals and dreams evoke in you, making your mind movie watching a truly immersing experience of motivation/inspiration and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
References
Dispenza, J. (2017). Becoming supernatural: How common people are doing the uncommon. Hay House.
Schultz, W. (1998). Predictive reward signal of dopamine neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology, 80(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1998.80.1.1
Tye, K. M., & Janak, P. H. (2007). Amygdala neurons differentially encode motivation and reinforcement. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 27(15), 3937–3945. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5281-06.2007
Such a great read. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge.